Pokémon: Gotta Catch 'em All
by draconian216
Summary: In this exciting fanfic, Ash has aura. Witness his journey to become a Pokemon master with his friends by his side as they take on various challenges. Will they succeed? Read and find out. This is an Armourshipping fic
1. Chapter 1: Pallet Town

**Hello. I am draconian216 and I am here with my very first fanfiction. I decided to write this to share my views with how I think Pokémon should have been written. I will share my theories**

**1\. Ash has aura and all trainers begin at age 10.**

**2\. I never liked the idea of you trading some pokémon to have them evolve, so those pokémon will have to level up to evolve. ****Level up in the sense of growth and not actual level.**

**3\. The Pokémon master is known as the strongest trainer in the world and is also one who is capable of commanding all non-legendary pokémon. For heaven's sake the pokémon league motto is 'gotta catch 'em all'.** **Also please note that the person does not necessarily need to have all those Pokemon in their roster, as the Pokemon may be released or traded out or given away. But their pokedex must say that they have captured that amount of Pokemon or they can have someone vouch for them. **

**4\. Ash will age in this fanfiction. ****It is a must and Game Freak needs to understand that no one will remain a kid forever.**

"Talking," human speech.

_'Talking,'_ thinking.

**"Talking," **pokémon attack.

_"Talking,"_ pokémon speech.

**"Talking," **pokédex speech.

**That is all, I am draconian216 once again and without further ado I give you the first chapter**.

**_Chapter 1: Pallet_** **_Town_**

In the quiet town of Pallet in the Kanto region, five year old was running around the fields chasing wild Rattata. He had spiky black hair, chocolate brown eyes and zig-zag marks on both cheeks. His name was Ash Satoshi Ketchum and ever since he could talk he became shrouded in the wonders of pokémon. Right now as he was chasing a couple of Rattata, they led him to Route 1. After some seconds in Route 1, he heard a mighty shriek. When he turned, he saw a ferocious looking Fearow.

The Fearow shrieked as it began to charge Ash. Ash thought to himself, _'I must have wondered into Fearow territory, damn.'_ As the Fearow neared him, he glowed blue and a burst of aura escaped him and blasted the Fearow. Just as, Fearow was sent flying, Gary Oak, Ash's best friend arrived. Before Gary could offer help to Ash, another Fearow appeared. This time as the Fearow attacked, Gary was the one who glowed pink as he incapacitated the Fearow and sent it flying. Gary helped Ash up but they both froze as they heard a louder shriek.

As they both turned around, they saw four Fearow, two been the one they had blasted and the other two were fresh. Each of the Fearow began charging** Drill Run**. As both the aura and psychic failsafe had been used, both boys could only watch frozen. They were snapped out by their thoughts by two indistinct yells.

"Lucario use **dragon pulse**."

"Gallade use **icy wind**."

Both boys watched as a black and blue Jackal-like pokémon , and a green and white knight-like pokémon fired attacks that crashed into the Fearow knocking them out. From the, sky two men dropped. The first stood behind the Lucario. He had spiky black hair. The second stood behind the Gallade. He had spiky brown hair.

"Dad!", Ash and Gary shouted as they ran up to the men. Both men turned and hugged their respective kid. The one with spiky black hair was known as Red Satoshi Ketchum, and he was Ash's father. The one with spiky brown hair was known as Blue Oak, and he was Gary's father.

The next years Ash and Gary trained their respective powers and learning about pokémon from Professor Samuel Oak, Gary's grandfather, alongside their best friend Leaf Green. Leaf was without special powers but she was a skilled survivalist and athlete. Their training took them to parts of Kanto within Viridian forest. With Ash's newfound ability to talk to pokémon ... Yes, he was able to through aura, they were able to gain the friendship and trust of pokémon in those parts. Gary could process information quickly and think very fast, while Leaf was just amazing at living off the land, and had superb athleticism. Trainers who stopped by Oak's ranch were stunned by the growth rate of the kids, and how they interacted with pokémon both trained and wild. The trio could tame a wild Gyarados and transform it into a lap dog. Their help and theories they formulated were sent to the league along with their names and they were given the title of Junior Professors, with the six pokémon limit been lifted to a twelve pokémon limit.

Leaf was like a cord holding both of them. Ash was more practical, Gary was more theoretical and Leaf was a mixture of both.

Soon, the three were of age to receive their starter pokémon and become pokémon trainers. The five years spent learning about pokémon had been extremely beneficial. Leaf's survival instincts had increased, and so did her reflexes. She also became skilled in cooking food for both humans and pokémon. Gary had become an extremely fast thinker and good in deciphering. He could process information speedily alongside theories. Ash had become more in tune with his senses and the environment. He could come up with unorthodox battling strategies on the spot.

In the third year of their training, they had collaborated with Silph Co. to create special pokéballs, they called them Friend Balls. Silph Co. agreed to patent the balls under their name and would only sell them if they agreed to it. The balls were all linked together. Ash's were red, Gary's were blue and Leaf's were green. Through the connections, each of the pokémon could see the outside through Ash's and Gary's eyes. As for Leaf, it was through a green crystal necklace.

The time had come, they had received their starters a year ago, due to been responsible. Ash had received a Charmander, now a Charmeleon. Gary had received a Squirtle, now a Wartortle. Leaf had received a Bulbasaur, now an Ivysaur.

They had all gathered in Professor Oak's lab for their trainers license. Compared to their mates, they were far calmer and much more composed. The other three were also there. An arrogant kid named Daniel, a cheerful girl named Alice, and a hyperactive kid named Ritchie.

"Okay now," they heard Professor Oak say. "You are here today receive your starter pokémon and your trainers license. Know this on your journey. Pokémon are your friends, you should work together with them ti achieve your dreams and goals. Now, I have here with me three pokéballs contain that contain the three Kanto starters ... Yes Ritchie."

"Professor, how come there are three pokéballs and six of us?" Ritchie asked.

"You see now Ash, Gary and Leaf have already received their starters a year ago after been permitted by the league," the Professor responded.

"But that's not fair," Daniel cut in.

"Hush now," Professor Oak started. "They have shown great growth in their abilities. Now as Junior Professors, their limit have been shifted to 12 while yours stand at six. Meaning, you can't carry more than six pokémon at a time. Once you capture more than six it will automatically be sent to my lab. Now, unto the starters. You may now choose. Ladies first."

"I choose Bulbasaur, " Alice said as she took the pokéball.

"I choose Squirtle," Daniel said as he took the pokéball.

"Guess I've got Charmander," Ritchie said as he took the last pokéball.

"Now," the Professor started."Here are your pokédexes. You three get the National dex with entries of all known pokémon, while you three get the Kanto dex with entries on only Kanto pokémon. Here are your five pokéballs each, and here are your eleven friend balls. Your pokédex serve as your trainer I.D. and license, and also hour bank account. Your pokémon journey has now begun. Goodluck."

The other three nodded and went on their way.

"As for you guys, I have a gift. These are called Xtransceivers."

He knew there was no need to elaborate further because they already knew what it was.

"Thank you so much," they said in unison before taking the device and strapping it to their hands. They took their pokédex and placed them in their bags. Ash's pokédex was red with a Charizard on it. Gary's was blue with a Blastoise on it. Leaf's was green with a Venusaur on it.

With that they hugged the professor and left saying goodbye.

They arrived at Ash's house to meet his mother who had gifts for them.

"They grow up so fast," Delia said while hugging them. "Now for each of you, here are some recipes from my cookbook, for both humans and pokémon. Here are egg incubators and one of each elemental stone and finally all the pokédex codes for the National dex."

"Thank you mum/Thank you Mrs. Ketchum, " they all said.

"Now that that's settled, I wish you guys a great journey. Don't forget to call. Bye."

"Bye!" they yelled as they were already moving.

As they walked towards route 1, they waved to the people who had grown to love them over the years. As they approached route 1, their eyes were filled with determination.

"Guys. How about we travel together until Viridian City?" Leaf asked.

"Sounds good," Ash said.

"I'm with you," Gary said and they all proceeded towards route 1.

Some time into their adventure, they reached an open space and decided to set up camp and released their pokémon.

"Hey Ash, I'll be over there working with Ivysaur," Leaf said.

"Me too and Wartortle, " Gary said too.

"Okay. I'll be with Charmeleon," Ash responded as Leaf and Gary walked away.

"Okay buddy. How about a nickname?"

Charmeleon seemed to consider it before nodding his head.

"Nice. It has to be something cool. Let's try Blaze."

"Yes...Blaze. I like the sound of that. Blaze it is."

Ash merely chuckled at his starter's antics. He took out his pokédex before saying "pokédex activate." At this the device came to life. He took a look at the codes and command list that was given to him.

"Pokédex scan," he said to the device and it responded "**scann ing**," with a female electronic voice.

**"Charmeleon. The 'Flame Pokémon'**

**Type: Fire**

**Gender: Male**

**Abilities: Blaze **

**Moves: Scratch, growl, ember, smokescreen, dragon rage, scary face, sunny day, flamethrower, protect, fire punch, thunder punch, metal claw.**

**Egg moves: dragon pulse, dragon rush, flare blitz, dragon dance, outrage, air slash. (Note: egg moves have been unlocked.)**"

The electronic voice stopped.

"Alright Blaze, lets see what you got. Use **scratch **on that tree continuously."

_"With pleasure,"_ Blaze said as he extended his claws and began scratching the tree continuously, leaving claw mark after claw mark.

"Enough. Now use **ember**."

Blaze growled as he reared his head back and released small balls of fire, charring the tree.

"Follow up with** flamethrower **and keep it up."

Out of Blaze's mouth came a stream of fire. The flames bathed the tree, but it took about three minutes for it to be fully burnt to a crisp.

"Now Blaze, your attack, special attack and speed are good but your defense and special defense, not so much."

Blaze nodded in understanding.

"Aside from that how about we spend some time meditating before we leave here."

_"Understood,"_ Blaze said.

For about ten minutes, Ash and Blaze sat cross-legged on the ground meditating. Ash was resonating aura around his body while Blaze was trying to resonate fire energy around his body. They were interrupted by Ash's xtransceiver beeping. Ash's eyes shut open.

"Looks like there's a storm heading towards us. Let's move."

As he said this, they quickly packed all their things and began running to Viridian City.

**_2 Hours Later_**

Thanks to aura and psychic abilities, they were able to make it to Viridian City faster. But, it did not stop them from getting wet. They were soaked from top to bottom with water as they made their way to the Pokémon center.

"Hello," the voice of the friendly nurse reached their ears. "Welcome Ash, Gary and Leaf. Sorry you were caught in the storm."

"No worries Nurse Joy," Leaf said.

"Yeah nurse Joy, but can you please set us up for three rooms,"Gary asked.

"Of course I can," came the reply. She took their dexes and typed in some keys into her computer.

"All done. Here are your card keys." That been said she gave it to them.

"Thanks Nurse Joy," came the reply.

"Anytime. That's what I'm here for."

With that they walked away to make a call to home.

After a video call of about thirty minutes, they retired to their various rooms to rest. As Ash entered the room, he released Blaze.

"How about we rest for some time. Our journey continues tomorrow."

Blaze nodded and after some time they both fell asleep. An hour into the sleep and both of them were woken up by a large boom.

"What was that?" Ash asked as he got up

_"I don't know," _Blaze responded.

"We better check it out."

He quickly made his way downstairs alongside Blaze. They were met by Gary and Leaf alongside Wartortle and Ivysaur respectively.

"Have any idea what that was?" Leaf asked.

"Nope, but we're about to find out," Ash responded.

As they reached the center's lobby, they gasped at what they saw. The front door had been destroyed and there in the lobby were three humans and three pokémon. Ash could clearly make out through his aura that one of them was Nurse Joy and that she was been harassed by another female and a male. By their side were an Ekans, Koffing and a Meowth.

"What do you think you're doing to Nurse Joy?" Ash asked.

With that, both women, the man and the pokémon turned around.

_"Hey who do you think you are interrupting Team Rocket," _the Meowth said.

It didn't surprise any of them. Already Ash, Gary and Leaf had seen more shocking things than a talking pokémon. The Team Rocket members didn't bother asking why they weren't shocked.

"Answer us. Who are you?" Gary asked.

"We're Jessie and James of Team Rocket and we're here to steal your pokémon so hand them over," the now known Jessie said.

At this, their pokémon growled.

"Not on our watch," Leaf responded. "Ivysaur and I will take the Meowth."

"Me and Wartortle will take the Koffing."

"Guess the Ekans belongs to me and Blaze," Ash said. "Blaze use **ember**."

"Ekans dodge and use **poison sting**."

Out of Blaze's mouth came five tiny fireballs, each directed at Ekans. As they neared, Ekans dodged and fired a barrage of **poison stings** at Blaze.

"Block with** protect** and use **ember**. Spread them."

Blaze held up his hands to put up a green barrier to block **poison sting**. After the barrage of **poison stings** ended, Blaze began firing **ember**, but each in a different direction and at a fast rate.

"Dodge Ekans."

Ekans tried dodging and it worked until one of them nailed her, and soon she was pelted by them.

"Keep it up and use **flamethrower**."

While firing the **ember,** Blaze added in** flamethrower**. The orange red flames slammed into Ekans, stunning her.

"No Ekans."

"Finish her with **dual thunder and fire punch**."

Blaze growled as his right hand sparked with yellow lightning and his left hand became shrouded in orange-red flames. He ran and slammed both fists into Ekans knocking her out.

As Ekans was sent flying, Ash saw Meowth been knocked out by a **magical leaf** attack, courtesy of Ivysaur, and Koffing been knocked out by a **brine **attack from Wartortle.

"Grr..." both Jessie and James said in unison.

"Give it up. You can't win," Leaf said.

"Hold on guys. I sense something amiss in their hearts. I'm not good enough to read feelings but I know that you guys don't want this kind of life. This is your last opportunity, leave now and turn from a life of crime or face the consequences next time we meet," Ash said with eyes glowing blue.

James and Jessie were a bit scared as they considered their options; go to prison or become trainers.

"And what if we don't?" James asked.

This time Ash's entire body glowed blue. Gary's body too was outlined in pink psychic energy and Leaf attained a devilish grin.

"If you choose wrongly, you'll have to spend the rest of your lives serving jail time. Choose wisely," Leaf stated.

"Fine. We'll think about it," Jessie stated as both she and James returned their pokémon to their pokéballs while James carried Meowth.

"Maybe, our paths will cross on our journey. Goodbye," James said and he and Jessie left.

Ash turned to Nurse Joy. "How are you doing?" He asked.

"I am fine thanks to you three."

"You're welcome Nurse Joy," Gary said.

"I should do something to repay you for your help," Nurse Joy said

"There's no need to do that Nurse Joy," Ash said.

"Of course I do. As thanks for saving me."

"I see there's no way to change your mind," Ash said.

"Yes. Follow me."

She led them to behind her desk. She bent over before resurfacing with three pokémon eggs.

"I have here with me three pokémon eggs that were discovered by Officer Jenny in the wild. She asked me to give them to any responsible trainer I could find. So, who better than you three."

"Thanks," they said. "Goodnight nurse Joy."

With that they walked away.

**_Morning_**

The next morning, Ash woke up to see Blaze staring at him.

"Hey buddy. Had a good night?" He asked.

_"Yes I did Ash. Shall we get going?"_ Blaze responded.

"Yes. Just give me time to get ready."

With that he got up and went to shower in preparation for the day. As soon as he finished, he recalled Blaze and made his way downstairs.

'Guess Leaf and Gary must have left,' Ash thought.

"Bye Nurse Joy," he called.

"Bye!" She called back.

Ash walked out if the pokémon center as he made his way to the sea near Viridian City. As he reached the sea area, he brought out his fishing rod from his bag. It was amazing how technology was. How they were able to create a bag with unlimited storage capacity he did not know.

After placing the bait, he casted his rod into the water. He soon released Blaze as both of them watched the rod for pulls. After about three minutes, there was a pull. Ash grabbed the rod and yanked with aura induced strength. He pulled the end out of the water, and hanging on was a Psyduck. Psyduck were rare pokémon and here was one hanging from the end of his fishing rod.

"Hey Psyduck, since I caught you in my rod. How about a battle. If I lose you go free, but if I win, I catch you."

Psyduck seemed to consider his options before nodding.

_"Right on,"_ the Psyduck said.

"To the front Blaze. Use **scratch**."

Blaze nodded as ran at Psyduck with extended claws. As he neared, Psyduck fired a rush of water, only for Blaze to dodge and land the scratch attack.

"Follow up with **thunder punch**."

Before Psyduck could recover from the** scratch** attack, he was punched with a lightning enhanced fist, knocking him out. Ash quickly tossed a friend ball at him instantly catching him.

Ash released the Psyduck from its pokéball constraint.

"Hey Psyduck."

The duck pokémon looked very disappointed. It had lost to a fire type.

"Don't be down on yourself. I've trained Blaze here really well. It's not your fault. You just need more training to improve and with it you can be the best Golduck the world has seen. So are you in?"

At the prospect of getting stronger, Psyduck agreed.

"Welcome to the team Psyduck. There's something you must know about me. I have the ability to manipulate aura."

Psyduck was shocked. He had heard about aura from his parents and how great they were, and here he was. His trainer was one of them. The thought of it made Psyduck excited and he nodded frantically.

"Now that you're a member of the team, would you like a nickname? "

Psyduck thought then shook his head.

"Okay then, tell me if you change your mind."

Another nod.

"Now that that's clear, pokédex scan"

**"Scanning,"** came the reply.

**"Psyduck. The 'Duck Pokémon'**

**Type: Water**

**Gender: Male**

**Abilities: Swift swim**

**Moves: scratch, water sport, tail whip, water gun, confusion**

**Egg moves: synchronize, psybeam, future sight, cross chop. (Note: egg moves are yet to be unlocked.)"**

The electronic voice stopped.

"Now that that's taken care of. Onward to Viridian forest," he said as he strode with both Blaze and Psyduck.


	2. Chapter 2: Training and Viridian Forest

**Hey everyone. Sorry it's been a while since I dropped the first chapter of Pokémon:Gotta Catch 'em All. I had some issues with my phone and it had been off for some period of time. Hope you guys can forgive me. I'm still draconian216 and I'm here with the next chapter of Pokémon: Gotta Catch 'em All. Before I get on with the chapter, I'd like to reply to some reviews. **

**AJ Jason**

**Yes. This is an AshSerena fanfic. But it won't happen immediately. I intend for them to be really close friends, closer than normal but no kissing and the rest. For Christ's sake they're just ten.**

**Warhammer4life**

**Thanks for the warning. I appreciate it. And I've also blocked them so no need to worry. **

**Amourshipper35**

**Thanks for the compliment. Serena will appear throughout the journey in Mt. Moon. But I don't plan on making her a permanent character just then.**

**_Chapter 2: Training and Viridian Forest_**

Ash and his team had just began their trek inside of Viridian forest when they reached an open area.

"Okay guys, let's set up camp."

It took about 6 minutes for them to set up camp. Ash's tent was set some feet behind the fire pit, and there was a large log in front of the tent. After that was done, Ash's eyes glowed blue and he sent out a pulse of aura throughout the forest.

_"Um... Ash. What just happened?"_ Psyduck asked.

"I just sent out a pulse of aura throughout the forest, informing the Beedrill swarm of my presence," Ash stated calmly. "Now let's begin our training. You both have to wear weights."

As he said this, he brought the weights out of his bag. He placed weights in Blaze's hand, legs, tail, and body. On Psyduck, he placed weights on his hands and body.

_"What's with the weights?" _Psyduck asked as he struggled to maintain balance. Ash calibrated, with his Xtransceiver, each weight on Blaze's body to be 2 kg, making a combined weight of 16 kg, and each on Psyduck's to be 3 kg, making a combined weight of 9 kg.

"Imagine yourself running with weights that pull you down," Ash started. "The faster you are with those weights pulling you down, the faster you'll be without those weights."

Psyduck took the information to heart. Ash knew his stuff.

"Now I want you guys to do some stretches to get used to the weights while I make lunch." And with that he walked away.

After about ten minutes, he had finished making fire pokéchow and water pokéchow, and for himself, two burgers. He called them over and after they had finished eating, they continued their training.

"Let's meditate on our natural energy. In other words, aura."

Both beasts nodded as they took on meditating postures. They closed their eyes and began to concentrate on their life essence.

"Now try to focus that energy around your body," Ash said after 5 minutes.

They heard him and heeded his words. Soon enough, both Blaze and Psyduck attained blue glows around their body.

Ash got up and walked behind them before touching them with both hands. He channeled aura to their bodies. As he did this, his eyes glowed blue and he could see the aura levels of all living creatures.

_'Aura Sight, '_ Ash thought. _'I've finally unlocked it.'_

He deactivated it and saw that both Blaze and Psyduck were glowing a faint blue. He glanced at the pokémon egg Nurse Joy gave to him. It was glowing and then it hatched. Out of the egg came an Elekid and this one wa not like other ones. It was Shiny.

Shiny pokémon were basically like other pokémon, but they had a different coloration from others of the same species. Shiny pokémon also had 2 the base stats of normal pokémon. Meaning that they were genetically engineered by their parents breed, something that still remains a mystery, to be in fact stronger than normal pokémon.

Ash was in awe. His third pokémon was shiny and an electric type. A type with only one weakness and given the fact that electric pokémon were in fact fast and were hard hitters. The Elekid-line were amongst the hardest hitters of electric pokémon. They had bulk and power especially when at their final form.

Elekid were not known for their defense, but for their speed. However, this changed as they evolve, increasing their other stats. They could generate electricity by twirling their arms and charging themselves. Their line were special as they could absorb lightning to strengthen themselves despite not having lightning rod as an ability. They also liked playing around thunderstorms.

Ash called out to Elekid.

"Hey there Elekid. My name is Ash and I'm your trainer. These are my partners, Blaze and Psyduck. Would you like to be on my team as one of them?"

Elekid had no idea, but the prospect of been among a family sounded good to him.

"Here," Ash said as he bent down, showing his evolutionary line. "This is Electabuzz and this is Electivire. They are your evolutions. If you decide to join us, I'll train you to become the strongest Electivire ever."

Elekid looked at Electivire, it seemed to radiate power even from just a photo. He looked at Blaze, and then Psyduck, both were still glowing blue with aura. A grin formed on his tiny face as he nodded.

"Now Elekid. I have to catch you in this friend ball. Then I'm gonna let you out so we can train. This is so that you become my official pokémon and part of my team."

Elekid nodded as he tapped the capture button on the friend ball, and was sucked inside. Ash turned to Blaze and Psyduck.

"Okay guys, that's enough. Time for you to meet the newest member of the team."

His words snapped Blaze and Psyduck out of their meditation.

"Say hello to Elekid," Ash said as he released the 'Electric Pokémon'. "You guys chat for sometime while I make electric pokéchow for Elekid." And with that he walked off.

_"Um... hi,"_ Elekid said.

_"Hello," _Blaze and Psyduck said in unison.

_"I'm kinda new to this trainer thing. You guys mind explaining?" _Elekid asked.

_"Okay. Here's how it is,"_ Blaze started. _"Ash has caught us which makes us his pokémon and members of his team. Now, we are expected to be trained by Ash to battle other trainers and in our case, help Ash become Pokémon Master, which ultimately makes us the strongest pokémon in the world. And trust me, this way is better than training in the wild."_

_"I understand,_" Elekid said.

They continued their idle chit-chat for some time before Ash appeared with Elekid's pokéchow.

"Dig in," he said as Elekid started eating.

Ash opened his Xtransceiver.

"Call Gary and Leaf," he said.

"Calling, " the Xtransceiver responded.

After sometime, Gary and Leaf's face appeared on the screen.

"Hey guys," Ash said.

"Hey Ash," Leaf said.

"Hello," Gary said.

"I'm currently in Viridian forest and my egg hatched into a shiny Elekid, " Ash said.

"I just made my way to Pewter City and my egg hatched into an Eevee," Gary said.

"I'm in Mt. Moon and mine hatched into a Skitty," Leaf said.

"Amazing. I'm really glad Nurse Joy gave us the eggs. So how many pokémon have you guys caught?" Ash asked.

"I have caught five," Gary said.

"I have caught eight," Leaf said.

"Wow Leaf. You really went all out. I guess we'll be seeing each other aboard the S.S. Anne then. Take care. Bye," Ash said.

"Bye," they both said as the line got disconnected.

"Okay guys. Back to training. Elekid, you're with me. Speed training. Run laps around the camp until you're tired."

Blaze and Psyduck began running laps, while Ash took a stroll with Elekid. As they were walking, they heard a scream and ran in that direction. When they reached, they saw a girl ben cocooned with webs by a Caterpie and Weedle.

"We need to help her."

Elekid's eyes flashed with determination as he ran and nailed Caterpie with Quick attack.

Ash smiled. It seemed to him that Elekid wanted to get stronger. Ash ran at the girl and cut the web binding her to the tree, carrying her to safety.

"You'll be okay soon," he said.

He turned back to see Elekid dodge a string shot from Caterpie, and then tackle Weedle. Elekid ran back before nailing Caterpie with tackle, knocking it out, before rushing towards Weedle and executing a Quick Attack, knocking Weedle out.

Ash threw three friend balls at them and both were sucked inside. The ball wasted no time to ding as it was an immediate catch. Elekid carried both balls back to Ash. Ash used the knife to free the girl from her cocoon prison. As she came out, she gasped for air.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked

"Yeah, thank you. Wait... not to sound rude, but who are you?"

"Well, my name is Ash Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town. I was having a walk with Elekid here when we heard your scream."

"Thanks for saving me. I'm Misty Waterflower from Cerulean City. I am a water pokémon trainer and... Wait, where's my bike?"

Ash watched as Elekid walked over to the river that was nearby and pointed at it.

"Um... Sorry Misty. It seems Elekid accidentally knocked it into the river. Are you okay?" Ash asked as he saw Misty's shocked face.

"I'm fine," she responded. "But you'll have to pay for it. It was a gift from my mother."

"I don't think I have enough money."

"Then I'll just travel with you until you pay for it."

"Fine," Ash said in defeat. "Hey Elekid. We're going back to camp."

The electric type quickly walked over to him, as Ash's eyes glowed blue.

"What is that?" Misty asked.

"Aura sight. I'm an Aura user"

"Oh like those in fairy tales," Misty said while rolling her eyes. She was not buying it.

"It's true. Aura Guardians are not fairy tales. They're one hundred percent real. I'm a living testament to that. All living things contain aura i.e. the energy of all things that are alive. Humans usually contain in lesser amount than other living things, with the exception of one group of people. Aura Guardians. They wield aura on par with that of normal pokémon, and some wield in greater amounts than normal pokémon. However, there exists a different category. They were Psychics. Their genetic makeup traded high output for a high brain power likened to that possessed by psychic pokémon," Ash explained.

"Wow, there are many things I don't know."

"In time. My dad once told me that 'With age comes experience. With experience comes knowledge. And with knowledge comes power.' Let's go. I have a fix on my team."

Misty was quiet as Ash led her to his campsite. As they arrived, he saw Blaze sitting down, back against a tree. And to his surprise, Psyduck battling a Scyther. _'Weren't they rare, ' _Ash thought. And his Psyduck was busy fighting one of them.

"So. These are your pokémon." It wasn't a question but more like a statement.

"The Charmeleon and the Psyduck are with me. The Scyther, no. What I don't understand is the fact that Psyduck is sparring with one of them."

"So you were able to track them with this Aura Sight of yours."

"Yeah. Aura Sight basically allows me to see living things in the colour code of their life force."

And that was it. Aura Sight showed the user the living things around he/she, with the colour code of their life force. Plants and grass type had a green code. Fire types had an orange-red code. Water types had a deep blue code. Psychic types had a pink code. Ghost types had a purple code. Dark types had a black code. Dragon types had an emerald-blue code. Ice types had a light blue code. Lightning types had a yellow code. Fighting types had a red code. Normal types had a brown code. Flying types had a white code. Steel types had a grey-black coding. Rock types had a light brown code. Ground types had a grey-brown code. Poison types had a violet-red code. Fairy types had a reddish pink code. Bug types had a greenish-brown code. It did have one drawback and that was that it couldn't spot the life energy of inanimate objects.

Ash's pokédex beeped.

**"Psyduck has unlocked egg move psybeam."**

Ash looked up as Psyduck blasted Scyther with psybeam and then pounded him with water gun knocking him out. Psyduck ran to Ash's bag and brought out a friend ball and tossed it at Scyther capturing him.

"Hey Blaze, what just happened here."

_"Oh. While you were gone, Scyther came and challenged us to a battle that if he won, he'll agree to join us on our journey. So I let Psyduck take him on."_

"That's impressive Psyduck. You know Elekid here caught a Caterpie and Weedle."

_"Nice little guy," _Blaze said as he patted Elekid who blushed out of embarrassment.

"Guys this is Misty. She will be traveling with us until I can pay for her damaged bike."

At this point, Blaze and Psyduck turned to her and waved their hands at Misty who waved back.

"So Misty, do you have any pokémon?" Ash asked.

"Yeah I do. Come out guys," Misty said as she tossing three pokéballs into the air. Three pokémon materially from the pokéballs. A Staryu, Goldeen and a Magikarp.

"Nice collection. Make yourself comfortable while I heal these guys," Ash said as he walked away and released Scyther, Caterpie and Weedle.

He gave them a revive each and some potions. He gave them the same speech he gave Elekid and they accepted.

"With that behind us, let's get a move on."

"Alright Ash."

After cleaning up the campsite, they began their trek towards Pewter City. About 50 minutes into the trek the entire place was filled with smoke.

"Hello," they heard a voice which sounded like a female say. Ash was able to recognize the voice. Even Blaze too recognized it and he growled. Misty, Psyduck and Elekid were just confused. Soon two figures appeared from the smoke, a male and a female.

"Jessie and James. I have to ask, did you take my advice or are you here to fight?"

"Relax kid," James said as he held up his hands in defense. "We took it."

Hearing this, Blaze stopped growling.

"Yeah Ash," Jessie said. "We've left Team Rocket and have become real trainers."

At the mention of Team Rocket, Misty shuddered. Apparently she might have heard of the criminal organization.

"Say hello to my pokémon," Jessie said as she released four pokémon from her pokéballs. They were an Arbok, Abra, Fearow and Mankey.

"Meet mine," James said as he released five pokémon. They were a Weezing, Meowth, Growlithe, Mime Jr., and Geodude.

"We've already gotten the Boulder Badge," Jessie said.

"Yeah. So we're one step closer to the Indigo League," James said.

"I'm glad to hear that," Ash said. "Hopefully we'll meet at the S.S. Anne."

"Yeah," both of them said in unison. "Bye Ash." And like that they were gone.

"Good for them," Ash said out loud. "Shall we continue?"

Misty just nodded and they resumed their journey. When they stopped, it was around six in the evening, according to Ash's Xtransceiver.

"How about we camp here?" Ash asked Misty.

"Fine with me," she responded.

"Alright guys," Ash said as he released the rest of his pokémon. "Let's set up camp."

It took them only a few minutes to set the camp. Misty's and Ash's tents were next to each other and a few feet away from the fire pit. Around the fire pit were two logs.

"Nice work guys. Before I forget, will any of you like a nickname?" The question was directed at Elekid, Scyther, Weedle and Caterpie. Out of the four, only Elekid seemed to consider it before nodding.

"Okay Elekid, how about Shock?"

A shake of the head.

"Stun...?"

Another shake of the head.

"Um...I don't think I have any-Wait I got one. Volt?"

Elekid thought of it then nodded. Volt it was.

"Um...Ash," Misty called.

"Yeah Misty. What is it?"

"Is it okay if I join your training?"

"Of course it's okay. As long as you can keep up."

"Of course I can keep up. In fact I challenge you to a battle. Right here, right now."

"Oh really. You're on. What format?"

"A one-on-one. My strongest vs yours."

"You're on. Blaze, to the battlefield."

The Charmeleon jumped forward and landed in front of Ash.

"Staryu. I need you."

Out of the pokéball came the Star Shape Pokémon.

"Blaze start with **Scratch**."

"Staryu **water gun**."

Blaze ran at Staryu with glowing claw as Staryu fired a water gun attack. Blaze leaped over the attack and shot a** flamethrower. **

"Dodge and** Rapid Spin**."

Staryu evaded the **flamethrower** as it began spinning rapidly towards Blaze. Blaze didn't even appear to think of moving as he waited for Staryu to near him. Ash grinned.

"**Metal Claw**. Send it into the ground."

Blaze's hands attained a metallic glint as Staryu approached. He raised both arms as he struck Staryu and drove it into the ground.

"**Thunder punch**, finish it."

"Staryu, no!"

Blaze's right hand sparked with yellow lightning as he growled. He balled his hand into a fist as he sent it crashing into Staryu. There was a loud mechanical cry as it was knocked out. Misty silently returned her fallen starter as she stared at the pokéball. Staryu couldn't bear the super-effective move from the higher level pokémon.

"You did your best Staryu. Thanks."

"Are you okay Misty?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks for the battle. It has shown me where I currently stand. Can we get on with the training."

"Sure," Ash said with a smile. "Now Misty. I'm gonna give you a rundown, but you'll have to explain the rest to your team."

"I'll do my best."

"Blaze and Psyduck, I want you guys to instruct the others while I give Misty a rundown."

Both pokémon nodded and walked towards the rest of Ash's pokémon.

"Alright Misty. Here's what we're gonna do." With that he glowed blue.

"You want us to glow blue with aura?" Misty asked, a bit shocked.

"I don't expect you to get it down. See, Aura is the energy of life. All living things contain Aura, including humans. But humans have it lesser amounts than pokémon. However, there are some exceptions who have Aura in amounts equal to pokémon and sometimes greater than normal pokémon. Pokémon use moves via their aura. Water moves are performed with Aura infused with water energy. Now what I want you to instruct your team is to focus on their elemental-aura and separate the natural water energy from their aura. They should then focus on the Aura, until they achieve that." He stopped as he pointed to his team, who were all glowing a faint blue. After that, he walked away.

"Okay guys. You heard Ash. Let's do this."

It took close to 50 minutes before Misty and her team were able to get the Aura glow. Well her pokémon got a faint glow and her's was even less. Nevertheless, it could only be seen by an aura practitioner.

"Alright everyone. That's a wrap," Ash said as he stopped their training. "I'd like to scan you guys for our next training session. Pokédex scan."

**"Scanning**," came the mechanical voice response.

**"Caterpie. 'The Worm Pokémon.'**

**Type: Bug**

**Gender: Male**

**Abilities: Shield dust**

**Moves: String Shot, Tackle, Bug Bite.**

**Egg moves: None.**

**"Weedle. 'Hairy Bug Pokémon.'**

**Type: Bug**

**Gender: Female**

**Abilities: Shield dust**

**Moves: Poison Sting, String Shot, Bug Bite.**

**Egg moves: None."**

**"Scyther. The 'Mantis Pokémon.'**

**Type: Bug/Flying. **

**Gender: Male.**

**Abilities: Swarm**

**Moves: Leer, Quick Attack, Vacuum Wave, Focus energy, Pursuit, Bug bite, Defog.**

**Egg moves: Bug buzz, Silver wind, Steel wing (Note: Bug bite and Silver wind are yet to be unlocked)"**

**"Elekid. The 'Electric Pokémon.'**

**Type: Electric**

**Gender: Male**

**Abilities: Static**

**Moves: Leer, Quick attack, Thundershock.**

**Egg moves: Cross chop, Dynamic punch, Fire punch, Hammer arm, Focus punch, Karate chop, Rolling kick.(Note: Egg moves have not been unlocked)"**

"Amazing. You guys are up to pretty great starts, especially you Volt. If I'm not mistaken, your parents looked like they were an Electivire and an Emboar.

"Ash," Misty called out. "I just finished scanning my team."

"Good. Moving on to Speed training. You guys are gonna run laps around the site with weights on your bodies, until you drop. I'm gonna join you guys too."

After saying this, he opened the bag to bring out the weights. Blaze and Psyduck received the same weights as before. Volt got a kg on both hands. Scyther got 4 kg on each scythe and leg, and 2 kg on each wing and 3 kg on the waist. Caterpie and Weedle both got 0.25 kg on their bodies. Ash also gave Misty a set of weights for her team.

In a few minutes, they all started the track exercise. They continued for about twenty minutes.

"Since the first half of speed training is done. Scyther into the air and perform aerial maneuvers. Blaze and Psyduck, I want you to dig a hole enough for Psyduck, Goldeen and Magikarp to swim laps. After that Blaze continue running laps. Volt join Blaze. Caterpie and Weedle continue your race on the trees around. You have thirty minutes before we move onto the speed of your attack."

Within the thirty minutes, they had finished the second half of their speed training. Another twenty-five minutes were spent improving the speed at which their attacks were launched.

During the time that Ash had spent learning from Professor Oak, the Professor had taught him that in order for them to increase attack speed, a pokémon should be instructed to perform a move back-to-back while trying to reduce the time it takes to perform it again with the slightly reduced energy.

"I think that's okay for today. We continue to Pewter by tomorrow. Would anyone like to sleep outside with me?" Ash asked.

Blaze, Psyduck, Volt and Scyther all agreed to stay outside, while Caterpie and Weedle went inside.

"Goodnight Misty," Ash said as he got into his tent and settled into his sleeping bag. His head was positioned towards the outside of the tent. Blaze laid himself down on Ash's side. Volt crawled unto Ash's belly. Scyther sat cross-legged with his back against the tent and Psyduck rested his head on Blaze's body. And with that they fell asleep.

The next day when Ash woke up, there was a rainbow coloured feather on his face.

"Huh...what's this?" Ash asked as he pressed the scan button on his pokédex.

"Ho-oh. The 'Rainbow Pokémon.' Ho-oh's feathers glow in seven different colours depending on the angle at which they are struck by light. The feathers ar said to bring eternal happiness to the bearer. Ho-oh is said to roam around the world in search of a trainer with a pure heart."

Ash was shocked. The Rainbow pokémon had just gifted him with one of her feathers and had been blessed with eternal happiness. 'So I do have a pure heart.' Ash said to himself.

It took them not long to disband their previous campsite and continue their journey. After some few hours before they reached Pewter City. Misty had caught two Poliwag along the way.

When they reached the entrance, they decided to rest up on some rocks.

"That would be 1000 pokédollars," a voice said.

"What ?! Ash and Misty said in unison.

"The rocks you're sitting on. It costs 1000 pokédollars to sit on any of these rocks."

Ash looked at the rock we was currently sitting on and he touched with his first finger. On contact with the rock, he felt a pulse of aura, causing him to turn back to the man.

"I'll take it."

"What? Ash are you crazy? You're seriously gonna pay one thousand pokédollars for a large rock?"

"Don't worry Misty, it'll all be fine. Yeah you go sir," Ash said as he handed the money to the man. After that he released Blaze.

"Blaze, I want you to use **metal claw **on that rock delicately."

The fire type nodded as his claws attained a metallic sheen. Like a knife through butter, Blaze cut open the rock until it revealed an object at the center. It was a fossil.

"A fossil...but how aren't they supposed to be underground." It was not a question but a mere statement.

"Congrats kid. Only one another had been able to discover that under some of these rocks were fossil. There's a reason why Pewter is sometimes referred to as the 'City of Stone'."

"Um...if you don't mind me asking, what was the named of the other kid who figured it out?"

"No I don't mind. If I do recall correctly, I believe his name was Gary. Gary Oak. Yeah that was his name."

"Thank you," Ash said as he and Misty walked off.

Gary had known. His rival never ceased to amaze him. Although Leaf was close to them knowledge wise, her lack of Psychic or Aura abilities would pose a bit of a drawback in these sought of things. She would come around sooner or later.

After been a fair distance away, Ash sent an audio clip to Professor Oak about the Jaw fossil and how he needs help reviving it. After sending the message, he sent the fossil and one of his friend ball via the Xtransceiver.

"I'm confused Ash. How did you know the fossil was there in the first place?"

"Well. After what he said, I touched the rock with my first finger and then I felt a pulse of aura. And like I had told you earlier, Aura is the energy of life. So there had to be something there."

Ash smiled slightly. There was something he wasn't telling her. Basically, Aura had two feels. The first one is natural and you get that feel from living beings. The second was somewhat artificial and you get the feel from man-made objects and inanimate creatures like rocks. Fossils were a different case. They consisted of both feels, both the natural and artificial feels. He was snapped out of his thinking by Misty.

"So what now?"

"Hmm...I'm going to get the Boulder Badge. I suggest you head to the pokémon center and work on your pokémon. You can set us up for two rooms. You have a long way to go to be Water Pokémon Master so you better get started then."

"Okay. See you later Ash," she said and turned towards the direction of the Pokémon Center.

Ash walked towards the Pewter Gym. He looked up at the building structure. It was fairly normal except for the statue of a Golem on the top. Ash pushed open the doors as he stepped inside. The entire place was completely dark.

"Hello," he said as he turned on Aura Sight. "My name is Ash Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town, and I'm here to challenge the Gym leader to a battle for the Boulder Badge."

After some time, he heard a deep voice.

"I am Brock Slate, th Pewter Gym Leader and I accept your challenge." As the voice said this, the lights turned on.

Ash walked towards the Gym field were he saw a boy he assumed to be the Gym leader. The field was a rocky field, intent on giving an advantage to the Gym leader. The elder boy, Ash presumed to be about 15 years gestured to the left of the field. Ash made his way over there as a referee appeared.

"This will be a two-on-two battle between Pewter Gym leader, Brock Slate and challenger Ash Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town. There are no time limits and no substitutions. The battle will be over when two pokémon from one side are unable to battle. Gym leader choose your pokémon."

"Lets roll Geodude."

Out of Brock's pokéball came a Geodude. Ash smiled. He knew about the Geodude line. They weren't all that now but their evolutions were pretty powerful.

"In that case. You're up Scyther."

Out of Ash's friend ball came his Scyther. Scyther came out and slashed his scythes towards Geodude.

**Hey guys. Hope you guys liked the chapter. I know it wasn't that long but as the story progresses the chapters will get longer. As you may have seen from the beginning I am going to focus on Ash's growth in general. The meeting wth Misty was something I enjoyed writing as I was tired of a Pikachu frying the bikes of all the girls he meets in all regions. If it may have not been said about earlier, Ash's starter is not a normal starter. He had Blaze for a year before leaving on his journey. If it may have confused you, don't be confused. The way egg moves are distributed won't b like the games. For example, if a Raichu mates with an Azumarill, the offspring will bear all it's electric and water egg moves. If you still don't understand, you can PM me. I know some of you may have thought I may not be doing Ho-oh's appearance. Well surprise 'cause Ho-oh appeared. Well not actually appeared but at least you saw hints. I hope you all liked the way I made Misty's character. I took away her bug phobia and may not a brat that always shouted at Ash and belittled him. I decided to make her someone who was ready to learn and grow. Well that's all. Don't forget to READ and REVIEW. draconian216 out.**


	3. Chapter 3 Pewter City Showdown

L

**Hey everyone draconian216 here with the third chapter of Pokémon: Gotta Catch 'em All. Before we get on with the chapter, here are some reviews. **

**-Armourshipper35**

**Thanks for the compliment. As for Jessie and James, I hated the fact that the anime tossed them aside, making them complete and total idiots, so I decided to make them trainers. They had began their trainer journeys before Ash but were completely humiliated by him and his starter Pikachu, completely stupid. So I plan on making them much more competent. **

**-Ash Jason AJ**

**Thank you for your support. As for the time gap, I'll see what I can do about it, but for now I have no problems. So the chapters will be coming a bit quicker. As for Pikachu, Ash already has an electric type, so Pikachu will come later in the series.**

**-Spaceghast**

**Thanks for the compliment, I'll do my best.**

**-Guest**

**Thanks. I'll do my best to make armourshippers proud.**

**That's it for reviews. **

**We're going to see some events from this chapter. First, Ash gets his first gym badge. Sorry in advance to anyone I may offend but Brock will not be travelling with Ash. At least not yet. He will be on his own journey until a point where he meets Ash again. Second, this is the introductory chapter of the final genetic cheat code. If it wasn't said before, the first was the Shiny gene, and that genetic code will be possessed by his latest addition in this chapter. Two of Ash's pokémon and one of Misty's pokémon evolve in this chapter, though it won't be focused on. This chapter also contains the appearance of one of Ash's rivals. Guess who? It is also the introduction of a special someone. With that out of the way, the third chapter of this fanfic awaits.**

_**Chapter 3: Pewter City Showdown**_

"Are you sure Ash," Brock said as he saw Scyther. "Using a bug type against a rock type is not a smart choice."

"Just watch and see Brock."

"Challenger has the first move. Scyther vs. Geodude begin."

"Scyther **leer** and move in with **Quick attack**."

Scyther flashed a grin at Geodude as he lowered it's defenses, before shooting off, leaving only a trail of white.

"Geodude meet him head-on with **rollout**."

Geodude curled up into a ball and began rolling towards Scyther's incoming body. Ash smirked. Brock had fallen for his trap.

"Scyther hit 'em with **Steel wing**."

Brock's eyes widened slightly as he saw Scyther's wings take on a metallic sheen. Geodude was too close for him to dodge so Brock ordered the only thing that made sense to him.

"Brace yourself."

Geodude quickly crossed his arms as Scyther's wing crashed into him and sent him flying.

"Now **vacuum wave."**

Just as Geodude tried regaining stability, Scyther hit him with the Vacuum wave attack, sending him back to the ground.

"Use **focus energy** until he tries to attack."

Scyther crossed both scythes in a praying manner as he focused his energy and tried to raise his critical-hit ratio.

"I underestimated you Ash. I should have known that you sending Scyther out meant that you had something up your sleeve. Geodude get back in the game with **rock throw."**

Geodude slowly pushed himself up as he began throwing rocks at Scyther.

"Scyther dodge with **quick attack **and try to go back in with **Vacuum wave**."

Scyther stopped **focus energy** as he started using** Quick attack** to avoid the rocks that were thrown at him. One of the rocks managed to hit Scyther but he held his own and fought through it. When he was close, he threw in a **Vacuum wave,** stopping rock throw while also doing damage to Geodude.

"Grr...Geodude **rock tomb**."

Geodude slammed both fists on the ground as he sent huge boulders towards Scyther who was using **Quick attack **to evade all of them as best as possible.

"Circle Geodude with **Quick attack** and use **pursuit** to hit him back-to-back."

Ash knew very well that the dark type move won't do much against Geodude. But he had Scyther do it so that it would further irritate Geodude and cause him to drop his guard in anger. And it worked perfectly. Before Geodude would turn back Scyther had left and was continuing his **Quick attack. **Soon Geodude's tolerance point had reached. Without command, he charged at Scyther with **rollout**.

"End this with **Steel wing**."

Scyther halted his **Quick attack-Pursuit **assault and raced at Geodude's back with silver wings of metal. Before the rock type could comprehend what was happening, a super-effective **Steel wing, **courtesy of Scyther slammed into him and sent him flying into the Psychic barriers that surrounded the field and prevented debris from getting into the stands. The super-effective, critical-hit move knocked Geodude out on collision.

"Geodude is unable to battle, the match goes to Scyther. Gym leader send out your final pokémon."

"Very good strategy Ash. But I'm afraid this is where your strategy ends. Show yourself Onix."

Out of Brock's pokéball came the 'Rock Snake Pokémon'. Ash stared wide-eyed. The stone behemoth screeched as it made it's appearance known. Onix were generally made of boulders that got smaller towards the tail, with a rock-like horn. This Onix looked to be about twenty feet, suggesting that it was still young and that was something Ash was grateful for, because the average height of normal Onix was twenty-eighth feet and ten and a half inches.

"Onix vs. Scyther begin"

"Let's start off with **screech**."

Onix opened his mouth and let out an ear-splitting screech. The attack lowered Scyther's defense harshly.

"Now **dig** and add **Headbutt**."

Onix quickly burrowed through the ground, leaving a huge hole.

"Use **steel wing **to counter when it surfaces."

Scyther made a low rumbling sound as his wings attained a metallic sheen. Eight seconds after that, Onix resurfaced and clashed head-on with Scyther. It didn't take long for Onix to overpower Scyther and was swatted away by his tail.

"Onix end this with **rock tomb.**"

Onix slammed his tail on the ground causing rocks to fly towards Scyther, burying him and knocking him out with a cry of pain.

"Scyther is unable to battle, the match goes to Onix. Trainer Ash send out your final pokémon."

"Let's do this Psyduck."

Out of his friend ball came his Psyduck. The Duck Pokémon came out of his ball and quacked. He was ready for battle.

"Psyduck vs. Onix begin."

"**Tail whip **and then **psybeam**."

Psyduck wagged his tail cutely, lowering Onix's defense before shooting the beam of psychic energy at Onix.

"Onix dodge and **earthquake**."

Onix slithered past the beam of psychic energy as he prepared to slam his tail on the ground.

"Before his tail comes down, jump and nail him with **confusion**."

Psyduck jumped up just as Onix's tail came crashing down. The impact caused the ground to rumble, knocking Brock, Ash and the ref. off their feet. Ash got up just in time to see Psyduck hit Onix with **confusion**, though the attack didn't do much damage.

"Hit him with **psybeam**."

"Onix **rock throw**."

Psyduck ran at Onix, who was hurling rocks at him. Psyduck did his best to dodge before blasting Onix with another **psybeam** in the crest.

"**Confusion** once more."

As soon as psybeam hit, Psyduck let loose a **confusion** attack. Ash knew it wouldn't do much, but he was hoping for one thing at it happened. Onix was confused.

"Onix **Headbutt**."

Onix, instead of using **headbutt** started batting himself with his tail, in the face.

Ash grinned.

"Psyduck **water gun**."

Psyduck reared his head back as he shot a blast of water at Onix, nailing him in the head and sending him sprawling across the ground. Onix was not knocked out by the attack and slowly began to stir. Ash wasn't going to let up. He knew if Onix got up, it will be much difficult.

"Continuous **water gun.** Max. power."

Psyduck reared his head back once again and released the continuous blast of water on Onix's fallen form, until and explosion of water occurred. Onix was knocked out.

"Onix is unable to battle, the match goes to Psyduck. Since Gym leader Brock has lost all two pokémon, victory goes to challenger Ash Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town."

"Yeah, good job Psyduck," Ash said as he hugged the water type.

"Hey Ash."

"Yeah Brock?"

"By defeating me, you have earned yourself this. The Boulder Badge, taking you one step closer to the Indigo League. Thanks for the battle."

"Thanks Brock," Ash said as he took the badge. "And you're welcome. I enjoyed the battle."

"I just wish I could travel like you."

"Yes you can son," a voice called out.

Ash and Brock turned back to see the same man who had sold Ash the rock earlier.

"Dad? Is it really you?"

"Yes it is my son. Forgive me."

"I should go now," Ash said as he sensed this was a personal matter. The last thing he heard was "Why did you leave?!"

Ash quickly made his way to the Pokémon Center. He dropped off his pokémon with Nurse Joy to rest as he made his way over to one of the Videophone. He dialled in a number and after some seconds, someone picked.

"Ash, my dear. It's so good to see you," his mom said from the other end.

"Hey mom. It's good to see you too."

"So how is my baby boy doing?"

"Mom I'm not a baby anymore."

"Well to me you'll always be my baby boy. Now tell me, whose eyes and heart do you have?"

Ash smiled. "I have the eyes of my father and the tender heart of my mother."

"That's my boy. Now tell me. Where are you calling from?"

"I'm currently in Pewter City and I've got the Boulder badge," Ash said as he showed her the badge.

"That's great to hear son. You know your father called earlier."

"Really? It's definitely not easy been Pokémon Master."

"It sure isn't. Anyway, he asked me to give you this," she said as she held out an object.

"No way. An electirizer? That's so cool."

Electirizers were expensive devices that could help a certain pokémon, Electabuzz reach it's final stage of evolution. They were developed alongside Magmarizers, by leading Professor of the Kalos Region, Professor Augustus Sycamore. Normally, in order for Electabuzz to evolve to Electivire, they had to be struck by a very powerful lightning bolt, in the presence of a thunderstorm. To find the right bolt of lightning was difficult and very dangerous for trainers so Prof. Sycamore created the electirizers. The devices held a special electric power that helped trigger the evolution. Magmarizers were similar but they were made for Magmar. Instead of the trainer having his Magmar battle in the center of a volcano, were the heat produced will trigger the evolution process, the Magmarizers, like the electirizer utilized a strange heat energy that enabled Magmar to evolve into Magmortar. And that was not all. Both were fairly expensive, costing one hundred and ninety pokédollars. This was so that only experienced trainers who had earned money through battling. But unfortunately, some arrogant rich kids had access to it.

"He said to give it to you since he heard that you got a shiny Elekid," as she said this, she sent the electirizer over to him.

"The electirizer got here safely."

"Good to know Ash. I hope to hear from you sooner. Take care my baby boy."

"Will do mom."

"I love you. Bye."

"Love you too." And the line got disconnected.

Soon Ash's Xtransceiver beeped and his friend ball appeared with a note that read, "Call me - Prof. Oak."

Without wasting time, Ash quickly dialled the Professor's number on the Xtransceiver. It rang once and the Professor answered.

"Hello Professor."

"Well hello Ash. I'm assuming you've got your friend ball and the message I sent along with it."

"Yes I did. Do you have something to tell me?"

"What I want to tell you concerns the pokémon in the ball."

"What about? I'm all ears."

"As you know, the pokémon inside is a Tyrunt. The 'Royal Heir Pokémon'. A rock and dragon type native to Kalos. This pokémon is a predator by nature."

"Well," the Prof. started before continuing. "Those primal instincts of dragon-types to hunt is further boosted by a very dangerous genetic code."

"No way..." Ash muttered slowly.

"Yes Ash. Your Tyrunt has the King's Species."

Ash smirked. He was truly blessed. The King's Species was a rare and powerful genetic make-up certain lucky pokémon possessed. The King's Species boosted a pokémon's power and size, multiplying it to two times what it was actually supposed to be. As a result of this, primal instincts were boosted to the max. due to that power boost. The King's Species was in other words, a genetic modification of the Shiny gene. And here he was. A King's Species Tyrunt as the latest addition to his team.

"You're a lucky one Ash. Very few trainers can boast of having a King's Species as one of their pokémon and that's why you have to take time in training them. You have a pretty strong team. Help them bring out their full potential and they'll forever be loyal to you."

"You know compared to us, you guys are the best. When we were your age, by Pewter City, I had a Charmander, Pidgeotto, and a Rattata. Your dad had a Charmander, Pidgeotto, Butterfree and a Pinsir. Blue had Squirtle, Spearow and Ekans. Green had Bulbasaur, Pikachu and Pineco. And here you are, a Charmeleon, Psyduck, Elekid, Scyther, Caterpie, Weedle and now a Tyrunt. I guess I'll be telling if I told you about Leaf and Gary's team. But keep in mind that they also have powerful teams. You've got the makings of a powerful team. Just remember to train them well. Well I best get going. Your mom is just about ready to breed a stubborn Pidgeot and Fearow. Bye." And the line was disconnected.

Ash smirked. His mom could pretty much get any two pokémon to mate. Nothing escaped her. He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard the Pokémon Centers mic.

"Trainer Ash Ketchum, please come to the counter. Your pokémon are well rested and healed, and are ready for you to pick them up."

He made his way over, took his pokémon and went to the Pokémon Centers training ground. As he made his way outside, he saw Misty engaged in a sparring session between Magikarp and Goldeen.

"Hey Misty."

"Oh," she said as she stopped her pokémon. "Welcome back Ash. How'd your battle go?"

"I won," he said with a smile. "How's your training session going?"

"Fairly well. They're improving a lot."

"Good to hear," Ash said as he released all six of his pokémon.

"Hey guys. I have two things to say to you. Each are important."

As his said this, all his pokémon perked up in interest. He smile d as he continued.

"First. Psyduck and Scyther, you guys did great today. They won us the Boulder badge."

As he said this, Blaze shot a flamethrower into the sky with a fierce roar. The rest were just thrilled.

"Second. We have a new team mate in our midst. So I want you guys on your best behaviour. Understood?"

They all nodded an affirmative as Ash released Tyrunt. He pressed the release button and a white light poured out releasing Tyrunt. As he came out, Tyrunt tilted his head at the change in the surrounding area. He remembered been at a lab, then an old guy talking to him and putting him inside a ball. Inside the ball, he could see this place but now he was here. He looked around and saw other pokémon, but they weren't around during his time.

"Tyrunt. How are you doing?" Ash asked as he knelt down to the pokémon's height. Despite just been reborn, Tyrunt was already around a two feet and four inches, thanks to King's Species.

_"Fine." _Ash heard Tyrunt say.

"Tyrunt, I know things are a bit different from your time. But I can be your new family if you let me."

Tyrunt seemed to consider it. Ash continued.

"See, these are my pokémon and they are also my family. That's Blaze." Ash said as he gestured to the fire type who growled in acknowledgement. "That's Psyduck." The Duck pokémon waved his hand before quacking. "That's Scyther." The Mantis pokémon nodded his head at Tyrunt. "He's always serious. That's Volt, an Elekid." The little electric type walked up to Tyrunt and extended an arm, which Tyrunt accepted. Ash had a feeling those two would get along well. "That's Caterpie and Weedle."

"If you agree to come with us, we'll make you a part of our family. We promise to train with you and make you into the strongest Tyrantrum the world has seen."

Tyrunt's eyes gleamed in delight. His major dream was to be the strongest Tyrantrum the world has known. And if this kid in front of him promised that, he was ready.

"So what do you say Tyrunt. Would you like to join us?"

Tyrunt did not hesitate for a second. He nodded.

"Hey everyone, Tyrunt just agreed to be part of us. Oh and one more thing. That's Misty and those are her pokémon."

As Tyrunt nodded, Ash proceeded.

"Now how about we begin training. We'll be working on endurance today. We'll start with Blaze."

As he said this, the fire type walked forward.

"Misty, I would like for your water types to use various water moves on Blaze. Psyduck join them too. Scyther I want you to use **vacuum wave**. Switch between close-range and long-range moves. Begin."

Ash didn't bother to watch when they started as he turned towards the other pokémon.

"Caterpie, Weedle, Volt, Tyrunt and Magikarp. I want you guys to engage in a five way sparring match. No serious moves. Now go."

They went on for about two hours. Ash occasionally went to check on the first set, to switch the pokémon on the receiving end of the attacks. In those two hours of relentless assault, Ash and Misty had spent close to 20 revives and 50 full restores, collectively. But the result was well worth it. Caterpie and Weedle had evolved to Butterfree and Beedrill respectively. Butterfree had learnt **harden, gust, confusion, sleep powder, poison powder and stun spore.** Beedrill had learnt **harden, fury attack, twineedle and rage**. Both were now level 14. Volt had learnt **low kick **and had unlocked egg moves **karate chop** and **fire punch.** He was now level 9. Misty's Magikarp had evolved to Gyarados and had learnt **bite** and **thrash**. Tyrunt had learnt **roar** and for some reason, he also knew all egg moves **rock** **polish** and **dragon dance**.Misty's Goldeen had learnt** water pulse. **Both Poliwag had learnt **double** **slap**. Staryu had learnt **bubblebeam**, Psyduck had learnt **water pulse **and unlocked egg move **hypnosis**. Scyther had learnt **false swipe** and unlocked egg moves **bug buzz and silver** **wind**. Blaze had learnt** fire fang.**

Right now they were all eating outside with their pokémon. After another hour of eating, Ash had them run over all their moves for an extra forty-five minutes, before they all turned in for the night.

_**The Next Day**_

They had woken up early, intent on getting an early start in their trek towards Mt. Moon. On nearing the Pokémon Center in front of the mountain, they heard a voice.

"Hey."

Ash and Misty turned towards the source of the voices to find a boy that looked to be around their age.

"Yes," Ash responded politely.

"You're a trainer right?" On seeing Ash nod, the boy continued. "How about a battle?" the boy asked.

"Sure. I'm always ready for battle. What format."

"How does a three-on-three sound to you?"

"That's fine with me."

"I'm Paul Shinji from the Sinnoh region, by the way."

"Ash Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town."

"Any chance you're related to Pokémon Master Red?"

"Yeah. He's my dad."

"Well then," Paul said after some seconds of awkward silence. "This battle just got much more interesting. No holding back right?"

"Wouldn't dream of it. Misty could you do the honours."

"Fine. This a three-on-three singles battle between Ash Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town and Paul Shinji from Sinnoh. The battle will be over when all three rounds of battle are over. Trainers release your pokémon."

"Elekid, Stand by for battle," Paul said releasing the electric type.

"You're up Volt."

"Challenger Paul has the first move. Elekid vs. Elekid begin."

"Elekid **tackle**."

"Volt **tackle**."

Elekid and Volt both clashed into each other, pushing each other back. As they got up, they both sparked with electricity. They had been paralysed by their **static** ability.

"Elekid **low kick.**"

"Volt dodge and **karate chop."**

Elekid ran up towards Volt and tried to kick him, but Volt dodged and with his hand glowing white, he chopped Elekid.

"Now **thundershock**."

Before Volt could use the weak electric attack, his paralysis kicked in and he couldn't move.

"Elekid **dynamic punch."**

Paul's Elekid's hand glowed an orange red as he ran at Volt, punching him and sending him flying into a tree.

"Elekid now charge him."

"Volt **fire punch.**"

Elekid ran at Volt before his paralysis kicked in sending him right into Volt's flaming fist. He was sent sprawling on the ground.

"Volt **thundershock**."

" Dodge and Elekid **dual ice punch."**

Elekid dodged the **thundershock** before slamming Volt with the** ice punch **and sending him to the ground with a **fire punch**. Volt was knocked out.

"Ash's Elekid is unable to battle, the match goes to Paul's Elekid. Choose your next pokémon."

"Return Elekid. You've done well."

"As always Elekid you showed your strength."

"Grotle stand by for battle," Paul said releasing grass Sinnoh starter.

"Go Scyther."

"Scyther vs. Grotle begin."

"Scyther start things off with **quick attack**."

"Grotle** withdraw and razor leaf."**

Scyther shot off at Grotle, leaving only a trail of white light. He slammed into Grotle but rebounded off her shell. Grotle came out and unleashed a barrage of razor sharp leaves at Scyther.

"Grotle **double-edge."**

"Scyther dodge and **bug bite."**

As Grotle approached Scyther with double-edge, Scyther dodged and used **bug bite.** He grew green teeth from his mouth and bit into Grotle eliciting a cry of pain.

"Now **bug buzz."**

Scyther flapped his wings so fast that they emitted red sound waves that struck Grotle.

"Grotle **body slam.**"

"End it with **silver wind."**

"Grotle st-" before the words could leave Paul's mouth, Grotle had jumped. **Silver wind** hit Grotle and sent her into the air, before she came crashing down with a thud.

"Grotle is unable to battle, the match goes to Scyther. Trainers send out your next pokémon."

"This match has been great but Ash, this is where it ends. Meet my starter. Monferno stand by for battle."

Out of Paul's pokéball came the fire monkey.

"Same here Paul. He hasn't had a battle in a while. Meet my starter. Let's go Blaze."

From Ash's friend ball came his Charmeleon. As both fire types saw each other, they growled.

"Monferno vs. Charmeleon, begin."

"Start off with **blaze kick."**

"Meet him with **fire punch**."

Monferno's feet became shrouded in orange-red flames as Blaze's fist were also shrouded in orange-red flames. As both clashed, flames sparked at the center. They struggled for dominance before Monferno slowly pushed Blaze back.

"Now **Mach punch."**

"**Smokescreen and dragon rage.**"

As Monferno's hand glowed, Blaze spewed a cloud of smoke from his mouth covering the field. From inside the smoke, they heard Monferno's cry, showing that he had been hit by dragon rage.

"Blaze focus on the smoke. Any sign of Monferno, attack with thunder punch."

"Nice try Ash. Monferno spin on your back with **flamethrower**."

As Blaze was silent inside the smoke, Monferno got on his back and like a break dancer, began spinning while using flamethrower, clearing the smoke.

**"Thunder punch."**

"You too."

Both pokémon's hand sparked with yellow lightning as they charged each other. Reaching a suitable distance, they lunged at each other. Sparks flew as they clashed and Monferno pushed Blaze back, thanks to his Iron Fist ability. Monferno added in **Mach punch **hitting Blaze and sending him sprawling on the ground.

"Blaze retaliate."

Blaze got up and ran at Monferno before seemingly disappearing. He appeared and slammed his head glowing white, into Monferno's chest, sending him sprawling on the ground in pain.

"Go in with **thunder punch."**

"Evade and **mach punch and thunder punch."**

By the time Blaze's fist had struck the ground, Monferno had rolled away. He punched Blaze twice before adding a **thunder punch. **

"**Thunder punch a**gain."

"Not gonna happen. **Aerial ace**."

Aerial ace and thunder punch clashed in a show of power. Both pokémon were soon pushed back in a stalemate. Both took damage as they landed in front off their trainers.

As they got up, their eyes were a flaming red. Their tail flames were larger and they were both coated in flaming red aura. They had both activated their ability **Blaze**. Both trainers smirked. The battle just got much more interesting.

"Monferno **bulk up."**

"Blaze** dragon dance."**

Monferno flexed his muscles as he was covered in red aura. Raising both attack and defense. Similarly, Blaze was performing a dance as he was covered in an emerald aura, raising his attack and speed.

"Blaze **aerial ace."**

**"Counter."**

As Blaze's **aerial ace** hit, Monferno struck back with **counter**, dealing double the damage he was dealt.

"Monferno **low kick.**"

"Dual **dragon pulse**."

Before Monferno could come close, the dual emerald draconic spheres slammed into him, sending him reeling back.

"**Fire punch.**"

"**Mach punch** then **flamethrower**."

**Fire punch** collided with **mach punch** and Blaze was pushed back, giving him enough distance to block **flamethrower** with **protect**. Both trainers looked at each other. They wanted to end the match with a single decisive move.

"Blaze/Monferno."

"Use **FLARE BLITZ!"**

Both pokémon became shrouded in orange-red flames as they charged each other. Blaze with superior speed and Monferno with superior defense. So far, both have been equally matched throughout the battle, so their trainers decided to see the outcome with one decisive move. Blaze and Monferno collided in a show of power, neither side giving in to the other. Then it happened, an explosion of flames occurred, sending both of them flying into their respective trainer. They were clearly knocked out and. The impact, the collision and the recoil damage. They couldn't take it.

Misty spoke as she regained herself. "Both pokémon are unable to battle. The battle is a draw."

"Guess it's a draw," Ash said as he recalled Blaze.

"Guess so," Paul said, recalling Monferno.

"Well that was the best battle I ever fought. The league's gonna be tough next year."

"Yeah. Hope we battle again sometime. I am interested in trainers who know how to bring out the best in their pokémon. You certainly have earned a point in my book. How long have you had Blaze?"

"A year. How long have you had Monferno?"

"Same. A year. It was a gift from my elder brother. If you don't mind me asking. How come your Charmeleon so easily performs dragon-type moves?"

"Well his parents were my dad's Charizard and Dragonite. The latent draconic energy in him as a Charmander becane more dominant as a result. That's why he has much more an affinity to draconic energy than most other Charmeleon."

"Well that explains that. So I guess later. I'm off to get the Boulder badge," Paul said as he walked away.

"Bye," Ash and Misty said as they walked towards the Pokémon Center.

"Hello Nurse Joy. If it's okay, I'd like to rest up my pokémon."

"Of course it's okay. That's what I'm here for," she said as she took the balls from him. "I'll call you over when they're ready to be picked."

"Thanks Nurse Joy."

Ash walked over to where Misty was sitting.

"What are you doing Ash?" Misty asked as she saw Ash bring out his pokédex.

"Just checking something. Pokédex, run satellite scan of possible pokémon in Mt. Moon."

"**Running scan. Possible pokémon: the Rattata-line, the Cleffa-line, Zubat-line, Paras-line, Geodude-line, Onix, Rhyhorn, Scyther. Possible encounter with a rogue Lunatone that was spotted heading towards Mt. Moon since about a month ago, and has not been seen outside the mountain."**

"A Lunatone. That's a surprise. Run scan on possible items that can be found."

"**Possibility of mega stones in the area, but none has been found in the Kanto region. Nuggets, moon stones, Dome fossill and Helix fossil**."

"Maybe if I'm lucky I'll see both fossils," Misty said.

"I don't have current need for a fossil but a mega stone. Now that's a rare find."

"Trainer Ash Ketchum, your pokémon are rested and are waiting for you at the counter."

"Let's go Misty," he said to the red-head.

After taking his pokémon, they began their trek towards Mt. Moon.

"Um...Ash. I've been meaning to ask you. How come you carry more than the standard six pokémon?"

"Special privileges I was given as Field Researcher for Prof. Oak. My standard pokémon limit has been raised to twelve pokémon. Special people like the Champions have a limit of one hundred pokémon, while the Pokémon Master has an unlimited limit. The limit can be raised for normal trainers if someone high in the league vouches for them."

"Oh...okay."

As they reached the entrance to the mountain, they saw a guy been attacked by a flock of Zubat.

"Blaze **ember** on all of them."

As Blaze came out of his friend ball, he shot tiny balls of fire nailing all of the Zubat with pinpoint accuracy.

"**Flamethrower**."

All the Zubat were knocked out of the sky.

"Hey are you okay?" Misty asked.

"I'm fine," the guy said arrogantly. "But that's the last time I enter Mt. Moon without pokémon."

"Jeez. ...you try to helo somebody," Misty said as she and Ash walked inside with Blaze by their side.

After about a minute into the Mt. Moon, they started hearing a voice.

"Braixen, hopefully we'll find a moon stone for Clefairy fo evolve."

"Hey, is anyone there?" Misty called out.

"Yeah," the voice said. "Braixen increase **flash**."

There was a glow and they saw a young girl, about their age standing with a fox-like pokémon, holding a stick in it's hand. Ash recognized it as the first evolution of the fire starter of Kalos.

Ash and Misty looked at the girl. She had honey-blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a gray black tank top with a white collar, a red skirt, dark pink hat with a black bow and hatband. Black socks and shoes and a pink backpack.

"Hello, my name is Ash Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town."

The girl tilted her head at him on hearing the name.

"Ash, is that really you?"

"Um...I'm Ash. Is there a problem?"

The girl smiled slightly as she stepped forward. How could she have missed those z-marks on his cheeks and the jet-black hair, even though it was covered by a cap.

"Well we met at Prof. Oak's Summer Camp when we were five. I am your best friend."

Ash was confused. Leaf and Gary were his best friends. Unless... 'No it can't be. Can it...but she's in Kalos.'

Serena stepped forward until they where mere inches apart. She leaned forward and whispered into his ears.

"My Aura Knight."

Ash's eyes widened in realization. "Serena..." he muttered as the girl pulled him into a hug.

"Serena!"

**Cliffhanger! That's it for the third chapter. Hope you liked the gym battle between Ash and Brock. Once again, sorry to those who wanted Brock to travel with Ash. Also, hope that interactive session between Ash and Delia was like a real mother and son. I must confess, I don't have the knack for writing those parts. Also, sorry the training session was not displayed. From now on they will be showed. Hope you guys loved the battle with Paul. In case you haven't guessed, he is the rival I was talking about, but he won't be that jerk that doesn't value his pokémon. He'll still be a little bent on power but not a jerk. In case you're wondering why I gave Paul Monferno as a starter, it's because while writing the battle, I wanted a pokémon that could tie with Blaze in a battle. Blaze will completely outclass Grotle due to type disadvantage so I was left with Monferno. The next chapter is the Mt. Moon arc. Ash will catch a new pokémon. Guess which pokémon? It's a guarantee that Misty will find both fossils. There's gonna be surprise battle between Ash and another. Is it a trainer, a pokémon. Who knows? This quiz does not include the battle with Team Rocket. It's a separate battle. The battle with Paul was an idea from Challenger by darkfire1220. Srena has finally arrived and it turns out she has a nickname for Ash. Hope armourshippers are happy. That's it for this chapter. Don't forget to Read and Review or even PM. Look forward to the next chapter. draconian216 out.**

L


	4. Chapter 4: Journey in Mt Moon

**Hey guys, draconian216 here. I sincerely apologise from the bottom of my heart. Hope you guys forgive me for the extremely late update. See my old phone got bad and I had to get a new one. I've gotten it, but I won't lie to you. It might be a while before the next update 'cause I'll be so caught up in school work. I promise I'll do my best to try and update Pokémon: Gotta Catch 'em All so that you the readers can enjoy it. Once again, my sincerest apologies. With that out of the way, let's look at the reviews for Chapter 3:**

**Ash Jason:**

**Once again thank you for your kind words and I will do my best to write this fanfic to the fullest of its potential.**

**Guest:**

**Honestly I don't plan on doing a crossover fanfic or even writing another one. I'm majorly concerned about writing this fanfic. Regarding the league, if I tell, it'll be a spoiler. It's best to let you guys read and find out for yourself what happens. Like I said, Ash will be catching all pokémon. How's he gonna do that if he releases them. So no release of pokémon in my mind.**

**Amourshipper35:**

**Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it.**

**Now that that's done. Hope you all are excited for Chapter 4. Like I said in the previous chapter, there's gonna be a battle against Team Rocket in this chapter. And for those who have thoughts on who Ash was going to battle in this chapter, you don't have to wait anymore. The battle Ash is going to have is against a pokémon. And it's not just any pokémon, it's a pokémon that's concerned with this chapter, a Clefable. Yes that's right, Ash is going to battle a Clefable. And no he's not going to catch it. He will catch a pokémon here but not a Clefable. Towards the end of the chapter, someone powerful is going to appear to meet Ash for the second time. He is someone of great influence over the pokémon world. Without further ado, I give you Chapter 4.**

_**Chapter 4: Journey In Mt. Moon**_

"Serena it's so good to see you," Ash said as the honey-blonde pulled away from the hug.

"You too Ash. It's been four years."

"It sure has. Serena I'd like for you to meet Misty. She's my traveling companion and an aspiring Water Pokémon Master."

"Hi I'm Serena Sycamore," she said as she extended her hand to the redhead.

"Hi I'm Misty Waterflower," Misty said as she took her hand.

"I'm guessing Braixen was your starter then."

"Yeah she was."

"What's that pokémon?" Misty asked.

"That's the fire type starter of the Kalos region," Ash responded.

"And I'm guessing Charmeleon was your starter."

Both fire types were currently involved in a conversation.

"I'm guessing Misty here would like a history check." Said girl nodded.

"I first met Serena when we were kids at Professor Oak's Summer Camp when we were four. Both of us, alongside Gary and Leaf were the best of friends, and we learnt about pokémon together. She also helped me practice my aura too before she and her mother left Kanto for Kalos to stay with their father, Professor Sycamore, the regional professor of Kalos."

"Knowing Ash to forget details, he has forgotten the fact that I told him that after I begin my journey, I'd first take on the Kanto Contest Circuit and I was actually on my way to Pallet Town when I met you guys."

"If you don't mind me asking. How many pokémon do you have Serena?"

"Of course I don't mind. Well I have Braixen, she said as she released four pokémon from pokéballs.

"These are Pancham, Charmander, Clefairy and Sandshrew," Serena said as she gestured to the released pokémon who waved at the humans. Serena's Charmander hurried over to Blaze upon seeing him.

"Say hello to my team," Ash said as he released six pokémon. "Say hello to Psyduck, Scyther, Volt, Butterfree, Beedrill and Tyrunt."

"Wow. Your pokémon all look amazing."

Said pokémon waved at her.

"How come you were able to get Kanto's fire starter? Misty asked.

"Well, my dad, Professor Sycamore gave her to me as a going away gift. He always told stories of how he always admired Professor Oak's Charizard."

They continued their chitchat for about twenty minutes before they felt a loud vibration set off throughout the Mountain.

"What was that?" Misty asked.

"I don't know but I don't like the feeling," Ash said as his eyes glowed blue, showing Aura sight.

'He must be trying to locate the source of the vibration' Serena thought to herself.

Ash ordered them to return their pokémon save Blaze and Braixen who were needed to guide the way as Ash led them through the cave network. After ten minutes, Ash stopped them.

"Whatever's making these vibrations is behind this wall."

"Can you see who?" Serena asked.

"No. My sights not strong enough to see even a little beyond such thick walls," Ash said as he deactivated Aura sight. "We'll need to burrow through. Blaze use **metal claw."**

The fire-type nodded as his claws took on a metallic sheen. He began cutting through the wall. It took Blaze roughly six minutes to create a hole large enough for them to fit through all the way to the end. By the time he had finished, they were met with a new challenge. They had to jump down to reach the floor.

"Scyther I need you,"Ash said as he released the dual bug and flying type. The flying type came out of his ball and turned to face Ash.

"Scyther I need you to carry Misty down there."

_"But what about you Ash?"_ Scyther asked.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

The Mantis Pokémon nodded as he picked Misty up and flew her down.

Ash looked to his side to see Blaze jumping down and Braixen setting herself down with Psychic.

"So what about us?" Serena asked as she looked at the distance between them and the ground.

"Don't worry I've got it covered," Ash said, reassuring her.

"So are we going to g-" she started, but was cut short by Ash, who had picked her up bridal style.

"No more questions," Ash said as he jumped with her, his body glowing blue and coated with aura. Aura was very powerful and versatile. Using aura, a person could see the life energies of living beings and how strong they were. Though it took a lot of practice, over time one would able to reach those heights. Ash just displayed one of the many versatility of Aura. He reinforced his entire body, especially the legs, with aura. This gave him the energy to absorb the force and power if the impact easily.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked her as they landed.

"I'm fine," she replied with a small blush. "My Aura Knight."

"Now," Ash said as he activated Aura sight. What he saw was disturbing. Multiple pokémon were all kept in cages and injected with something he couldn't identify. All the pokémon had auras that were haywire and aggressive. He looked at one corner and saw a large drill been operated by one guy. '_Probably digging for fossils or rare stones,'_ he thought. He looked at the people doing this to the pokémon and internally scowled. They were Team Rocket. He couldn't contain himself so he shouted.

"Who do you think you are doing such things to pokémon?"

"Ash calm down. Those are Team Rocket grunts," Misty said.

"So what right does it give them," Ash responded.

"Hey you. Get out of here before we make you," one grunt said.

"I'd love to see you try,"Ash responded.

"Final warning. Leave," another grunt said.

"No!" Serena shouted.

"Your funeral," the Head Grunt said as he held up pokéballs. "Attack!"

All the Team Rocket grunts released multiple pokémon from their pokéballs. Rattata, Ekans, Grimer, Zubat, Golbat, Paras and Sandshrew.

"Let's split up and deal with these guys," Ash said as he called out the rest of his team.

Ash ran to one of the incoming horde of savage pokémon.

"Blaze **flamethrower** and **dragon pulse**. Scyther **silver wind**. Psyduck **water gun.** Butterfree **confusion**. Beedrill **fury attack.** Volt **thundershock**. Tyrunt** rock polish **and **tackle**."

Ash activated Aura sight as he watched the battle with detail. Blaze was having the time of his life blasting Rattata and Ekans with **flamethrower** and **dragon pulse.** Scyther was nailing multiple Paras with **silver wind.** Psyduck took the liberty of bathing the Sandshrew. Beedrill had a little bit of trouble, but Blaze assisted her. Butterfree was happy enough to blast the Golbat with **confusion**. Volt and Tyrunt had fun taking out the Zubat. In a matter of ten minutes, they had knocked out all the pokémon.

"Knock the grunts out. Tyrunt, you're with me," Ash said as he and Tyrunt ran to where the caged pokémon were. Misty and her Gyarados had taken care of the large drill.

"Tyrunt. When I open the cage, I want you to use **roar** and **tackle** the pokémon continuously until I can hold unto it. Use **dragon dance **to give yourself a breather between pokémon."

Tyrunt growled in agreement as Ash coated his hands with aura and smashed it against the lock on the smashed it again, breaking it. Tyrunt roared a deep growl as he tackled the Sandshrew long enough for Ash to hold it and pour aura into it's body, trying to suppress th rage build up. After the Sandshrew calmed down, Ash let it go and Tyrunt used dragon dance. They did this for sixteen more pokémon. One of which was a Cleffa.

While doing this little "exercise", Ash's pokémon had gained some experience. The others had incapacitated the grunts and Serena had called the police. Ash's pokédex beeped to alert Ash of some notifications.

**"Tyrunt has learnt stomp and bide. Psyduck has learnt water pulse and disable, and has unlocked egg moves Cross chop, Future sight and Synchronoise. Scyther has learnt agility. Blaze has learnt flame burst. Volt has learnt swift and has unlocked egg move, Rolling kick. Butterfree has learnt psybeam and silver wind. Beedrill has learnt pursuit and focus energy."**

Ash smiled. It didn't take long for the Police to arrive and the head of the squad walked up to Ash and his friends. It was an Officer Jenny.

"I must thank you for your assistance, but..."; she started and then snapped. "What if you had gotten face to face with a Rocket Admin?"

"I hope you didn't expect me to hang back and watch them get hurt."

"Anyways, just stay on the right path and make sure you know what you're doing," she said as she left with her squad, taking the Rockets and their pokémon.

Ash felt something nudge him. He looked down to see the Cleffa from earlier.

"Hey Cleffa," Ash said as he crouched down to her level. "Do you need help with something?" Ash asked.

Cleffa nodded, before replying, "I am lost. Can you help me find my way."

"Sure thing Cleffa," Ash said with a smile. "Hey guys. Cleffa here's lost and needs help getting home. What do you guys say?"

"I say let's do it," Misty said.

"I'm with you," Serena said.

"Um...Ash, what was that thing you did to calm down those pokémon."

"It was Aura wave. It's a technique in which the user pours his aura into the target, to try to suppress the negative aura. However, the user must be calm and have a stronger will than the target for this to work."

"Okay," Misty said.

"But it sure takes a toll...on you. I'm surprised I didn't feel...this as soon as I was...done."

"Are you going to be okay?" Serena asked.

"Yeah...return your pokémon except Braixen. Scyther...I'm going to need...you to support me while...I try Aura...sense."

"What's that?" Serena asked.

"It's basically a weaker version of Aura sight. I can use it to pick up faint traces of a pokémon's typing."

"My there are so many," Misty said.

"Yeah. This way."

Fifteen Minutes Later

"Here we are," Ash said as they arrived at the location. They saw about two dozen Cleffa, a dozen Clefairy and seven Clefable.

"_Cleffa_!" the Cleffa exclaimed as it ran to the others and began chatting. After some time a Clefable walked up to them. It was flanked on both sides by two other Clefable, and Ash assumed it to be the Head Clefable.

_"We've just been told that you helped rescue one of our young ones and for that we're grateful," _an elderly yet charming voice said.

"Umm... I just did what was right," Ash said.

"_Even still. You went out of your way and have helped the Clefable community and have all earned these." _As the Elder Clefable said this, the other two brought forth their hands, revealing three stones.

"Moon stones!" Misty exclaimed.

_"Yes. But unlike the other moon stones, these ones are directly from our giant moon stone. Normal moon stones are formed from by the energy this one gives off every month, and are only good for a single evolution. These however" she said pointing towards the moon stones. "Last forever. They only need to be fuelled by the light from the moon. That's why Mt. Moon is opened at the top to the moon's light. But you can't fly over it thanks to psychic shields."_

"Thank you so much," they all said.

_"I also want to grant you all requests of your choosing."_

"I have one," Ash said. "I would like to battle a Cleffa to make it part of my team. If it is willing to come."

"_Hold on a bit."_ And the Elder Clefable walked away. The Elder Clefable soon came back with a Cleffa.

_"The little one said she would like to come with you. She's about two weeks old."_

"Alright. Let's do this Volt," Ash said as he released the Electric pokémon.

"Volt start off with **tackle**."

Volt ran towards Cleffa who was attacking with **rollout**.

"Meet her head-on with **low kick."**

As Volt approached Cleffa, he crouched low and extended his leg, kicking her and stopping rollout.

"**Thundershock**."

Volt sparked as he shot the electric attack at Cleffa who dodged the move before raising her hands, swaying them back and forth.

_**'Metronome,'**_Ash thought. "Volt. Guard up."

As metronome ended, a torrent of flames escaped Cleffa's mouth. The flames flew towards Volt, but he used it to fuel a **fire punch** while charging through the flames. As he neared Cleffa, he punched Cleffa right in the face and sending her flying.

"The result of a **metronome** is only as powerful as the actual metronome," Ash said. "Volt another** fire punch."**

Volt's hands became shrouded in fire as he ran at Cleffa who was coming with a **rollout**.

"**Rolling kick."**

The fighting move slammed into Cleffa and sent her sprawling on the ground.

"After her with **karate c****hop and**end it with **swift**."

Before Cleffa could recover, she was chopped and blasted with a barrage of stars, and she succumbed to unconsciousness. Ash threw a friend ball at Cleffa, catching her.

"_You have won the battle. I hope you train Cleffa to the best of her abilities,"_ the Elder Clefable.

"If it's okay with you Elder Clefable, I'd like to battle you,"Ash said.

The grin that spread across her face almost made Ash wish he didn't ask her for a battle.

_"I accept."_

_"What battle format would you like?"_ She asked Ash.

"How about my entire team against you."

"_Fine_."

"Volt let's continue."

_"You have the first move."_

"**Swift**."

Volt reared his head back and fired the barrage of stars at Clefable who dodged before firing a **water pulse **at Volt.

"Dodge and **rolling kick**."

Volt turned towards Clefable and proceeded to attack, but was unable to as he was caught and smashed into the ground by a powerful **hydro pump **attack and was knocked out.

"Tyrunt, you're up. Use **rock polish and dragon breath"**

Tyrunt immediately clasped both hands together as he used rock polish. He gained a glow around his body before he shot a **dragon breath** at Clefable. She easily dodged the attack before blasting Tyrunt with **water pulse **and knocking him out.

"Butterfree you're up."

The Butterfly Pokemon flew in front of him and readied himself up for battle.

"Butterfree use **gust**."

Butterfree quickly flapped his wings, sending a gust of wind at Clefable. Clefable's hands sparked with yellow lighting as she tore through the **gust** attack. Her hand soon changed from lightning and became an icy blue. She was using **ice punch**. She punched Butterfree before Ash could react, freezing him and knocking him out.

"Beedrill, rapid fire **poison sting."**

Beedrill's stingers took on a purple glow as she began trying to hit Clefable. Clefable skillfully dodged all strikes before punching Beedrill with blazing fists. The attack carried Beedrill into a boulder and she was knocked out.

Ash silently recalled Beedrill and looked at Clefable. His opponent was fast and executed her attacks accurately. Her use of **metronome** was outstanding. He knew his next choice.

"Scyther **agility** into **metal claw."**

Scyther quickly took on a battle stance in front of Ash before he relaxed his body and began heightening his speed. His scythes also began to take on a metallic sheen.

Clefable just stood silently, watching Scyther. After deciding that his speed was enough, Scyther charged Clefable. As he neared her, he slashed but she ducked under the attack. Ash watched in horror as Scyther was uppercutted with a** fire punch. **Before Scyther could be sent flying by the brunt of the attack, the Elder Clefable grabbed his leg and slammed him to the ground. Her hands sparked with yellow lightning as she punched Scyther, sending him further into the ground.

"That was brutal," Misty said.

"Yeah, but a battle's a battle," Serena said.

"But..." Misty started but was cut short by Ash.

"Serena's right. A battle is a battle,"Ash said as he recalled Scyther's falling body.

"Psyduck let's do this."

The Duck Pokémon quickly made his way over as he quacked.

"Psyduck **water gun."**

Psyduck quacked as he released a small stream of water from his mouth at Clefable. The Fairy Pokémon dodged it and began using **metronome** which turned out to be **confusion**.

"Evade and **Disable**."

Psyduck quickly dodged **confusion** before using **disable.** Immediately, Clefable felt the psychic block on the part of her mind concerned with using metronome.

**Disable** in it's true sense was a psychic-type move that involved applying a psychic block to a part of the Target's mind, preventing them from using the move executed prior to disable. The power of disable solely depended on the user's will against the target. The more powerful the attack, the longer the psychic block.

Clefable's hand soon sparked with yellow lightning as she ran at Psyduck.

"Psyduck **future sight **and **hypnosis**."

Unfortunately for Ash, **hypnosis** hit Clefable the same time her **thunder punch** collided with Psyduck's gut and sent him flying into a boulder. Psyduck's succumbed to unconsciousness from the impact with the boulder.

Clefable was fast asleep on the ground, under the effects of Psyduck's **hypnosis**. The thing with **hypnosis** was that it was dependent on the user's psychic influence over the mind of the target, ultimately convincing the target's mind that it needs rest. Psyduck was knocked out, so his psychic influence was no longer there. It was all a matter of when Clefable's mind agreed to wake up. Ash knew he had to capitalize on it.

"Blaze **metal claw** back-to-back."

The fire-type ran at Clefable's sleeping body with claws glowing a metallic sheen. As he reached her, he began slashing at her, earning little shifts in her body. After some slashes, Clefable woke up. Blaze was able to get in one last metal claw before she fully rose to her feet.

Clefable felt the psychic block over **metronome** disappear and she grinned widely. She soon started moving her hands back and forth as she used the attack. It turned out to be a **fire blast** but before she could launch, she was hit by Psyduck's **future sight** attack and was knocked off balance for a little while.

**Future sight **was a powerful psychic move. It was basically a concentrated mass of psychic energy sent into the future, to hit a target in a time interval. Experienced psychic-types could control the time interval between launching and striking. Ash took advantage of the moment to command Blaze.

"**Sunny day and flamethrower."**

Blaze growled as he shot an orange ball of concentrated fire energy. As the ball climbed a bit into the air, it just stayed in place, glowing brightly and influencing the power of fire moves. He reared his head back and shot a torrent of flames at Clefable, hitting her and pushing her back.

She was able to recover and soon started using **metronome**. Ash was quick to act.

"Blaze **flare blitz,"** Ash barked.

Blaze crouched slightly as he became shrouded in orange-red flames as he charges Clefable who was about to launch her **metronome** attack.

**Metronome** was basically a gamble move. It could become any move in the attackdex, excluding signature moves. The move it turned out to be could either benefit the user or the target. Right now the move turned out to be **Head Smash. **Both Clefable and Blaze charged each other and as they clashed, there was an explosion. Both Clefable and Blaze were thrown back by the collision,with Blaze suffering more thanks to the recoil damage from **Flare blitz**, the reduced HP thanks to his Solar power ability, and coupled with the fact that **Head Smash** was superior in terms of power and type. Clefable had also taken recoil damage from Head smash but she still had strength in her.

"I lost," Ash said silently.

"_Well done...young one. You almost had me there for a minute. You...have shown me that I...still have a lot to learn in here,_" the Elder Clefable said.

"You just took out all my pokémon," Ash said.

_"But the strategies you had in mind were amazing especially with the last two... pokémon. I also noticed the power gap between those two and the rest, 'cause the others were pretty weak."_

"Thank you for the battle. I'm still working on the others."

_"You're welcome young one. Feel free to come visit us anytime."_

After giving all his pokémon restores, Ash, Misty and Serena left the Moon Stone Sanctuary.

"Well Ash, you did well against Clefable," Serena said.

"Yeah Ash. Congrats," Misty said.

"Thanks you guys," Ash responded. "I think we should camp here for the night. According to my Xtransceiver, it's 7pm."

"Yeah you're right Ash," Serena said.

"Then what are we waiting for. Let's set up camp," Misty said.

After setting up camp, Ash released his pokémon.

""Volt, Tyrunt, Butterfree, Beedril, Scytherl. I feel like I've been neglecting you guys. I want you guys to forgive me. This is what I want you to do. Blaze I want you to be lookout while the others fight any pokémon that comes this way."

He heard various grunts of affirmation from his team as he went inside his tent to sleep.

_**Next Morning**_

Ash woke up to see Blaze pulsing with aura. He saw the rest of his team members including Cleffa.

"Hey Blaze," Ash called out.

"_Yes Ash,"_ Blaze responded.

"Did you guys do battle during the night?"

_"Yes. Some Geodude, Rattata, Parasect, Zubat and Sandshrew."_

"Wow. And how did it go?"

_"They fought well. Though I had to assist in some."_

"Alright then. Anything else?"

_"Psyduck's found a metal coat and Scyther found a mega stone."_

As he said this, both pokémon brought the items to Ash. Ash looked at the metal coat before turning to Scyther.

"Scyther, after this gym battle. What'd you say to evolving."

_"I'm ever ready Ash," _Scyther responded.

Ash smiled at the bug-type before turning to the mega stone. As he looked at the small stone in his hands. It was a real breakthrough. No mega stone had been found in Kanto. The only recorded sightings of mega stones where in the Kalos region and in Hoenn, and even there it was still rare. Mega stones we're stones that carried evolutionary power. The stones together with a similar stones, called a key stone can link the heart of a trainer to that of his pokémon, and with that power of the bond, the pokémon can further evolve into a form known as a Mega form. It was termed Mega evolution and it was discovered by Professor Sycamore of the Kalos region. Mega evolutions were extremely powerful, due to the fact that it opened up a pokémon's primal instincts, boosting the pokémon's power to that of a near-legendary. In the hands of pseudo legends, mega evolution was extremely powerful and dangerous. If not controlled, the pokémon may kill the trainer.

Ash looked at the stone in his hands. The stone he was holding was one of the mega evolution stones of his beloved starter, Blaze. The Charizard-line were considered to be pseudo legends. A well trained Charizard could pretty much take on a Dragonite. Charizard's had two mega stones. The Charizardite-Y stone further boosted the fire/flying attributes of the powerful pokémon, boosting it's speed and fire power and also giving it a little boost in draconic traits. The Charizardite-X turned the dual fire and flying type into Mega Charizard-X. Mega Charizard-X was a full blown fire and dragon dual type, trading it's natural affinity over the flying type for the powerful dragon typing. As Mega Charizard-X, their resistance to fire attacks was next to zero. While not possessing the huge fire power of Mega Charizard-Y, Mega Charizard-X was a force to be reckoned with.

Ash had just found his first mega stone and it was Charizardite-Y. He hoped that in the future he would be able to alternate between mega forms like his father. He was soon snapped out of his thought by Serena.

"Ash let's get moving."

"Oh right."

They cleared the campsite and continued towards Cerulean City. It didn't take them long to reach the exit to Mt. Moon where they stopped at a clearing.

"Is it okay if we stop here?" Ash asked. "I want to get a little training done."

"Of course. I also need to train for the Cerulean Contest," Serena said

"Yeah me too," Misty said.

Ash moved to a separate part of the clearing and released all his pokémon.

"Okay guys. I want you to engage each other in combat. No moves allowed. Do whatever you can to bring your opponent to he ground."

"Ash what's that?" Cleffa asked.

Ash looked up, following Cleffa's hand. He saw the silhouette of a winged pokémon coming towards them. As it got closer, it was revealed to be Charizard, and a huge one at that. Ash looked closer and noticed that there was someone on it's back. As the Charizard landed, the person jumped off. From what he wore, Ash couldn't make out a description. The person was wearing a black cloak that covered all his body. Ash looked and noticed that the person had thick jet black and chocolate brown eyes. Ash knew of only one person that hair as thick as his.

"Dad!" he said as he hugged the man, getting the attention of Serena and Misty who came over.

"Hello Mr. Ketchum," Serena said with a smile on her face.

"Hello to you too Serena," Red said as he pulled out of the huge with Ash. His eyes landed on Misty.

"A friend of yours?" He asked.

"Yes Dad. This is Misty Waterflower. Misty, this is my Dad, Red Satoshi Ketchum."

"Good morning sir...Wait! Did you say Red, as in Pokémon Master Red!" Misty exclaimed. "It's such an honour sir."

"The pleasure is all mine."

"So Dad, how did you find me?"

"Through Aura Mapping. How did your battle with the Elder Clefable go."

"I lost...Wait, how'd you know that?"

"Simple. She told me. Who do you think watches over the Mt. Moon Sanctuary. It is my duty as Pokémon Master. And besides, the Elder Clefable is my Clefable's daughter."

"No way," Serena said.

They heard a light growl and turned to see Blaze talking to the Elder Charizard. Ash could see the difference between them clearly. Blaze was fresh of scars while the Elder Charizard was full of them. Their height difference was also there. Blaze was almost four feet, while his father's Charizard was over nine feet in height. That's four feet taller than the average Charizard.

"Don't worry Ash, you'll get there...in time," Red said. "Now even as I came to talk, I also want to give you some tips. I'm sure you know about type effectiveness."

Ash nodded. Type effectiveness was simply the advantages and disadvantages all the various type attributes had over themselves. Various Pokémon Professors have over the years worked on the type effectiveness but many errors have been made like they have been made in pokémon classification, like how Delibird was considered an ice and flying type but was later discovered to be a pure ice type. However the errors have been corrected and an acceptable type effectiveness chart was drawn.

The Normal type had only one weakness, and that was the fighting type. Apart from that, any other damage they took was a normal damage. Any other damage they dealt was also a normal damage with the exception of the Ghost typing which are immune to the normal typing.

Next was the Fighting type or Battle energy. They had an advantage over normal, rock, bug, ice, dark and steel types. They were weak against psychic, fairy, electric, flying and poison types. Ghost types were also immune to Fighting types. Every other typing was normal and vice-versa.

Next was the Flying type or Sky energy. Holding an advantage over fighting, grass and bug types. They were weak against electric, ice, rock and steel types. They resisted ground types and every other type was normal damage and vice-versa.

Then came the Bug type or Insect energy. They had an advantage over grass, dark, psychic and other bug types. They were weak against electric, fire, rock, bug, ice and steel types. Every other type was normal damage and vice-versa.

The Grass type or Plant energy came next. They held an advantage to rock and ground types. They were weak against flying, fire, ice, bug, and poison type. They resisted fighting, water and grass types. Every other type was normal damage and vice-versa.

Coming in next was the Poison type or Acidic energy. They held an advantage over fighting, water, fairy and grass types. They were weak against ground, ice, psychic and dragon types. They were resisted by electric and they resisted fighting types. They were immune to poison types and had no effect on steel types. Every other type was normal damage and vice-versa.

Next came the Rock type or Mineral energy. They had an advantage over fire, flying and bug types. They were weak against fighting, water, grass, ice, ground, dragon, and steel types. They resisted rock and normal types. Every other type was normal damage and vice-versa.

Ground types or Earth energy. They had the advantage over electric, fire, poison and rock types. They were weak against water, grass and ice types. They were resisted by flying types and every other type was normal damage and vice-versa.

Steel types or the Ironic energy. They had the advantage over bug, rock, flying, ice and fairy types. They were weak against electric, fighting, fire, dragon and ghost types. They were immune to poison types and resisted steel types. Every other type was normal damage and vice-versa.

Ice types or Snow energy. They had an advantage over rock, ground, poison, grass, flying, dragon and bug types. They were weak against electric, fire, fighting, steel, fairy and dark types. They resisted ice and water types and every other type was normal damage and vice-versa.

The Fire type or Flame energy was next. They held an advantage over ice, grass, steel, and bug types. They were weak against water, rock, ground and electric types. They resisted other fire types and every other type was normal damage and vice-versa.

Next came the Water typing or Wave energy. They had an advantage over fire, rock and ground types. They were weak against electric and poison types. They resisted grass, water, ice and steel types. Every other type was normal damage and vice-versa.

Next was the Electric type or Lightning energy. They held an advantage over water, flying, bug, steel, ice and fire types. They were weak against ground types. They resisted water, flying, fire, electric and poison types. Every other type was normal damage and vice-versa.

Following suit was the Psychic type or the Mental energy. They held an advantage over fighting and poison types. They were weak against bug, ghost and dark types. They resisted fighting and psychic types and had no effect on dark types. Every other type was normal damage and vice-versa.

Next was the Ghost type or Otherworldly energy. They had an advantage over ghost, psychic and steel types. They were weak against ghost and dark types. They were immune to normal and fighting types. Every other type was normal damage and vice-versa.

Then the Dark type or Chaos energy. They had an advantage over psychic, ghost and ice types. They were weak against bug and fighting types. They were immune to psychic types and resisted dark types. Every other type was normal damage and vice-versa.

Next was the Fairy type or Peace energy. They had an advantage over fighting, dragon and ice types. They were weak against poison and steel types. They were immune to dragon types. Every other type was normal damage and vice-versa.

Lastly, the Dragon type or Draconic energy. Arguably the most powerful type system. They had the advantage over dragon, poison, rock and steel types. They were weak against dragon, fairy and ice types. They resisted fire, grass, steel, rock, water and bug types. Every other type was normal damage and vice-versa.

**Well, that's it for this chapter. On the next chapter, we get a tiny peek of a tiny fragment of Red Ketchum's pokémon party. It also marks Ash's first training with him. Don't think that I've left out Gary and Leaf. Both are still ahead of Ash in terms of distance but would be mentioned in the next chapter. Don't worry, they'll also be getting training tips from their parents too. Also, one of Ash's pokémon evolves in the next chapter. I think you may already know who it is. The Next chapter also marks Ash's second gym battle. Will he win or not? Read and find out. A powerful being will be introduced in the next chapter and he reveals to Ash a port****i****on of his identity. Ash gets two new pokémon in the next chapter. One of which is an egg. Note: the egg is tied to the powerful pokémon. I introduce also in the next chapter one of the phenom that were not explained in the anime and I also introduce my first Legend. New pokémon will be discovered in the next chapter and an influential man would be introduced also. Stay tuned, Don't forget to Read and Review. draconian216 out.**


	5. Chapter 5: Conquering the Cerulean Gym

**Hey Guys. draconian216 here with he fifth chapter of Pokémon: Gotta Catch 'em All. I apologise for the delay in the update, but I've been seriously busy with school work. I would also like to use this medium to say that updates may be coming slower than usual, but I promise to do my best to update. I thank all those that have been with me. Guys, criticism is important as a writer and so, if you feel I may be wrong in a fact or statement in the book, you're free to tell me about it.**

**Okay. This chapter marks Ash's second gym battle. All his pokémon also get new moves added to their arsenal of moves. Ash's Elekid, better known as Volt creates two moves and makes his gym battle debut. As for those of you who may not be happy about the pokémon character development, I apologise and I'll try to work on that. In this chapter, I introduce the colour codes that determine the power of attacks. This is also the first time that Ash is shown learning an aura technique. Ash's Psyduck and Scyther make their second gym battle appearance and Scyther creates a new move.**

**With that out of the way, I give you chapter 5.**

_**Chapter 5: Conquering the Cerulean Gym**_

"I see you're thinking about them," Red said to a silent Ash.

"Umm...yeah, just to be sure," Ash responded.

"Alright. Ash have your Charmeleon use **flamethrower**."

"Ok, Blaze responded use flamethrower."

Blaze growled as he reared his head back. He whipped it forward, unleashing a stream of orange-red flames into the sky.

"Alright, that's enough," Red said and Blaze cut off power the flames.

"Pyro, **flamethrower**," Red said to his own Charizard.

The huge lizard grunted as he released a huge stream of orange-white flames into the sky, and subsequently increasing the temperature of the atmosphere.

"Wow..." Those were the only words that could escape from Ash's mouth. He was in awe of the power the Elder Pseudo Dragon possessed.

"Ash."

"Yes."

"Did you notice the difference between Charizard's **flamethrower** and your Charmeleon's?"

"Yeah. Yours dwarfed Blaze's in both size and power."

"Apart from that, what else did you notice?"

"Oh yeah. I noticed Charizard's **flamethrower** was an orange-white in contrast to Blaze's orange-red flames. Why is it that?"

"That's what I'm getting to. You see Ash, pokémon are basically rated in power based on their raw power. Some species of pokémon are superior to others in terms of their attacking power. Some are natural tanks in terms of their defense. Some are monsters in terms of speed, and much more." Red paused to check if Ash was getting all that he said. When Ash nodded, he continued.

"Even at that, individual members of the same species still show variations in terms of those abilities. That's were genetics come into play. The genes transferred from parent pokémon to the child and also the traits that the child develops affect their abilities as pokémon. Another factor that affects these is training. Training is a vital factor in the lives of pokémon. Through training, a pokémon can improve it's genetic makeup, but that takes a long time. The reason why there's a difference in the colour of their flamethrowers is this. As fire-type pokémon grow and train, they expend their heat sacs. Using the heat sacs increases a fire-type's heat power. Note that this is not over usage of the heat sacs, but a controlled one. Fire-type moves usually go through four stages. The power of the move is determined by the colour of the attack. The first stage is the orange-red stage. This is the classic stage that all fire-type's begin with. As a fire-type continues growing, the orange-red flames soon start to change colour and soon become blue. This is the reason why a standard fully evolved fire-type's Blaze ability is usually blue. As they grow, the next stage is the orange-white stage. This is the third stage in a fire-type's power rise. The last and the most powerful stage is the blue-white stage. At this stage, the colour of the flames will not change but will only increase in terms of temperature."

Ash nodded as his father finished.

"So, until Blaze evolves, his Blaze abilities' flames won't be of a blue colour?"

"Not necessarily. Like I said, this is where training comes to play. The kind of exercise he performs with his flames determine the level at which he climbs those stages. Now knowing the Charizard line well, I'd suggest that you get on with it now."

"Dad, I have a question. How strong do you think your Charizard is?"

"Hmm... He is the strongest Charizard in the world and is capable of going head-to-head with multiple Charizard his age without breaking a sweat."

"Woah..."

"Moving on. Like the fire-type, most of the other types have colour power codes. The water type has two colour codes. The first is the normal sea blue colour code. After that is the dark blue colour code. As the pokémon trains it's water abilities, the water starts to get darker, reaching the point we're the sea blue becomes dark blue. The last colour is the deep sea blue colour. As the pokémon's water abilities continue to improve, the dark blue soon becomes a deep sea blue. It is said that pokémon with this colour code can unleash torrents of water strong enough to completely bring down multiple buildings.

Normal types, Fighting types, Flying types, Bug types, Rock types, Ground types, Steel types, Fairy types and Poison types don't have colour codes. In their system, strength is determined by a glow in the move used. The stronger the move, the brighter it becomes.

Electric types have four colour codes. The first one is the yellow code. It is the standard colour of all Electric types. The second colour code is the blue colour code. As the electric type grows, the yellow colour slowly starts attaining a blue streaks. As the pokémon reaches a certain point, the yellow colour would have morphed into a blue one. The third code is the black and white code. As the pokémon uses the blue code, it begins to darken until it becomes a dark colour with white outlines and streaks. The final code is the white-blue code. On using the white and black code, the black colour begins to get lighter until it becomes a light blue. Are you getting this?" Red asked Ash.

On seeing him nod he continued.

"Ghost types have only two codes. The first one is the normal dark purple colour. The code after that is the faint violet code. It is achieved by mastery over the first code.

Dragon types have three codes. The first code is the emerald code. It is the basic code for all dragon types. The second code was the green-blue code. Using the standard code to a certain level causes it to start attaining a hint of blue. The third and final code was the emerald-sapphire colour. As the dragon-type trains and improves his draconic power, the green and blue colours soon reach their prime form as emerald and sapphire colours respectively.

Psychic types had only two colour codes. The first and basic colour code was the pink code. As the psychic types improve their psychic abilities, the pink colour starts to morph into a pinkish-purple colour. That is the final code.

Ice types had two codes. The first was an icy blue colour. The second was of a light blue colour, much more rich in life than the first colour. This colour type is capable of heavily damaging dragon-types. One notable example is Lorelei's star battler, her Lapras.

Dark types also had two colour codes. The first colour was dark with purple outlines. As the dark-type grows, the purple slowly morphs into a red colour until it finally becomes dark with red outlines. Is that taken?" Red asked.

"Yeah. Got everything up here."

"Good. This is we're you train. Assemble your team."

Ash nodded as he addressed his team. While he was doing that, Red took some pokéballs and tossed them. The pokéballs flashed as the white light slowly took form. As the light condensed fully, there was a Golduck, an Electivire, a Tyrantrum, a Scizor, a Butterfree, a Beedrill.

"Woah...," Misty said as she gushed at the sight of Red's Golduck. "It appears so strong," she said.

"Ash, I figured I'd help you and your team learn some new moves. My Pokemon here are going to teach your pokémon some moves. And don't look at me like that. Blue and Green are doing the same thing with Gary and Leaf."

On seeing Ash nod, he continued.

"Alright. Charizard, you're gonna teach Ash's Charmeleon the basics of using **Fire blast**."

Ash heard the Elder Charizard make a sound he assumed to be laughter.

"Um...Dad! Why's Charizard laughing?"

"Don't worry son, Charizard's a brutal trainer and I have the feeling your Charmeleon's about to find out brutal he is."

Ash looked at Blaze and saw fear in his eyes. Fear of having your dad train you brutally and you not surviving.

"Golduck, I want you to teach Psyduck **muddy water.** Electivire, you'll be teaching Elekid **thunderbolt.** Tyrantrum, I want you to teach Tyrunt **earthquake**. Scizor, teach Scyther **aerial ace. **Beedrill, you'll be learning **sludge bomb**. Butterfree you'll be learning** wing attack**. Begin."

Soon, all the pokémon were in separate places, working on their moves.

"Ash, I also have something I'd like to teach you."

"What's that?"

"How to physically manifest and manipulate aura."

As Red said this, his eyes glowed blue and soon a blue sphere formed above his hands.

"Woah... classic Aura sphere."

"That's not all."

As Red said this, the sphere changed shape to a cube, then a cylinder, next a pyramid and finally a disc.

"Amazing."

"Glad you think so. Let's begin."

For the next forty minutes, Ash and his team learnt the basics of their various techniques. The training for Ash was not very brutal and he was able to grasp the aura manipulation easily. He was able to create basic three-dimensional shapes, like spheres, cubes and pyramids. The number of shapes he could create at a time was still limited to one.

Ash looked at Blaze. The Charmeleon was panting heavily with one knee down and all arms down. The training with the Elder Charizard was brutal. **Fire blast **was in a way similar to an **ember** attack. The pokémon first had to increase the fire power behind the **ember** attack and thus, increase its size. Then the pokémon had to be able to fire it without the ball fizzling away. The final step was the hardest of them all. The pokémon would now have to find a way and turn the fireball to the kanji for "big", mid-flight. The process was taxing and it required a lot of fire power. Ash smiled at the fire-type because he was able to get the foundation down for the fire attack.

Psyduck was also successful in his move. **Muddy water **was a water type move that was not of the standard sea blue colour. The colour of the move was a brown colour and it darkened with power. The move was done by summoning water from the ground below. Before the water escapes the ground, the pokémon should have affected the colour of the attack by their natural energy. Now the attack is to be executed with high pressure. Psyduck was able to get the basics down with the teaching from Golduck and was able to perform it almost accurately and with almost enough power as a standard one.

Elekid had also made good progress in learning **thunderbolt**. The powerful electric-type move was the improved form of **Thunder Shock. **The move required the user to harness electric energy from within and doubling the power of the electrical energy required to use thundershock and releasing as a large stream of lightning. Sounded easy right? Well, as the saying goes, "easier said than done." If it wasn't for the fact that Volt was a fast learner, grasping the basics of the move would have been a lot more difficult. Volt's **thunderbolt** was slower than standard but it still dealt standard damage.

Tyrunt had made quite the progress in **earthquake**. **Earthquake** was a standard ground type move and as it's name implied, it involved the pokémon causing an **earthquake**. The technique had a simple mode of execution. The pokémon first had to gather ground type energy in their feet, hand, tail or anywhere the pokémon could use as a medium of energy transfer. The next step required the pokémon to slam the ground with the medium. Upon slamming, the pokémon had to release the ground energy to shift the ground's surface, and causing a tremor. Pokémon who happen to be learning the move for the first time would have to come down on the ground with enough force and also release the ground energy. The strongest gym leader in all of Kanto, Giovanni. His most powerful pokémon, a Rhyperior is said to be the strongest Rhyperior in the world and his **earthquake** is strong enough to level a small City on half power. Tyrunt's **earthquake** could currently make Ash's body vibrate slightly. Ash knew he would need to work on that before it could be used in a real battle.

Scyther was working on **aerial ace.** The flying type move was a speedy sneak attack move meant to confuse and strike the opponent at the same time. The pokémon had to first perform a loop in the air to gather up flying type energy. As the pokémon approaches the end of the loop, the pokémon would then double it's speed and move faster than the opponent's eyes can trace, making it seemingly disappear. As it nears the opponent, the pokémon would pull back a little and strike the opponent. For none flying type pokémon, the move was done differently. Their feet first glowed white and they ran at the opponent with enhanced speed. Reaching the opponent, they would have to strike the opponent twice with both feet. Scyther was one of the few pokémon that could perform the move in both ways. Right now, Scyther was focused on learning the move like a flying type first. He had only gotten down the loop, but on reaching the point where he would have to double his speed power, he would fizz out. It was something Ash had to work on. Nevertheless, Scyther was good enough to practice the move on his own.

Beedrill was a prodigy in learning poison moves. **Sludge bomb **was a powerful poison move and Beedrill was a quite fast at learning the move and it shocked the older Beedrill. **Sludge** **bomb** required the pokémon gathering poison and compressing it into an unstable sphere. Next, the pokémon had to launch the poison sphere at the opponent. On impact, the sphere explodes and covers the opponent in poison, dealing damage. Beedrill could easily form the ball of poison and launch it at the opponent. Her sphere could also explode, covering the area with poison, though the power of the explosion was not as destructive as the older Beedrill's, but it was of a standard power. The move also had a thirty percent chance of poisoning the target.

Butterfree also made good progress in learning **wing** **attack**. The move simply involved the pokémon coating it's wings with flying type energy and slamming the opponent with it. The move was very simple and easy to learn. Butterfree was able to use the move to deal slightly more than average damage.

"Guess that's it," Red said as he recalled his pokémon except his Charizard.

"Thanks Dad. I really needed it."

"You're welcome son. Before I go here's my number so we can stay in touch."

"Will do Dad," Ash said as he took the card from Red.

"One more thing. After your gym battle, make sure to visit the lighthouse on that cliff. Just keep walking in that direction. I have someone who wants to meet you there," Red said as he got on Charizard.

"Thanks Dad. Bye!" Ash said as Charizard took off.

Soon, the Red Dragon was out of view.

"Okay guys," Ash said as he set up seven boulders for his pokémon. "I want you guys to practice your moves on these boulders. Have at it until you get tired or you're finished with the boulder."

All his pokémon made various cries of agreement.

"Cleffa, I want you to come with me, I want to get to know you and teach you a new move."

Cleffa nodded as she walked up to Ash.

"The rest of you begin."

Ash and Cleffa made their way to a clearing outside the one they were.

"Okay Cleffa. How about a scan," Ash said as he activated his pokédex.

"Scan pokémon."

"**Scanning**," the pokédex responded.

"**Cleffa, the 'Star Shape Pokémon.'**

**Height: 1'00" ft.**

**Weight: 6.9 lbs.**

**Ability: Cute Charm; Hidden ability: Friend Guard.**

**Type: Fairy.**

**Gender: Female**

**Egg moves: Amnesia, Belly drum, Covet, Heal pulse, Metronome, Mimic, Misty terrain, Splash, Present, Stored power, Tickle, Wish.(Note: Egg moves have not been unlocked.)**

**Moves: Rollout, Metronome, Charm, Pound, Encore, Sing, Headbutt."**

"That's a nice egg set, but your moveset has lots of room for improvement. Well the move I want to teach you is **Zen headbutt."**

_"I've seen that move before. The Elder Clefable's are skilled in that move."_

"Good. Now, according to the pokédex archives,** Zen headbutt **is a psychic move that involves the pokémon hitting the opponent with a psychic reinforced headbutt."

"_Psychic reinforced?" C_leffa asked.

"Putting it simply, it's basically a headbutt done with a psychic helmet."

"_Okay."_

"The basic way the pokédex instructed to learn this was to use **headbutt** and from time to time, cover your head with psychic energy. Got it?"

_"Yes," _Cleffa responded.

"Now go," Ash instructed.

Cleffa turned to face a tree and began to attack it with **headbutt**. Nearing the tree, she tried adding psychic energy but it was faint. She stopped the **headbutt** mere inches from impact.

"Fail huh? Again."

Forty minutes had passed before Ash started seeing faint traces of pink trying to reinforce Cleffa's head as she tries the attack.

"That's enough Cleffa. But I want you to keep working on that move whenever you're free."

"_Okay Ash."_

"Now let's go back."

The both of them left the clearing and made their way to where the rest of Ash's pokémon where.

Ash looked at them and their boulders. They were panting heavily. Blaze was down on one knee with sweat visible on his face. His boulder was completely covered in scorch marks. Psyduck was lying face first on the ground. His boulder was weathered, leaving only a small chunk of what was left of it. Elekid was face first on the ground. His boulder was cracked on every side, though not broken. Tyrunt was lying down, and from the looks of it, he had passed out. His boulder was broken badly due to the effect of **earthquake**. Scyther's boulder was dented in many ways and Scyther himself looked to be very worn out. Beedrill was resting on the ground. Her boulder was now a shade of purple. Butterfree was on the ground panting. His wings were dented and his boulder too was dented. All in all, Ash knew they had tried.

Ash sighed as he gave each of them restores. Restores helped the pokémon regain strength, but not completely. The pokemon's stamina is also restored but not to full capacity and they still needed to be checked by a Nurse at a Pokémon Center.

"Alright guys. Let's see those attacks. Blaze show me your best **fire blast."**

Blaze growled as he reared his head back and shot a medium sized fireball. Mid-flight, Blaze was able to transform the fireball into the kanji for "big". As the attack hit, it scorched the boulder.

"Nice. Psyduck show me **muddy water."**

Psyduck quacked as he slammed both fists on the ground. On impact, the ground beneath his hands cracked open and a brown, mud-like water gushed out and slammed into the boulder, completely destroying what was left of it.

"Good job Psyduck."

The Duck pokémon quacked, before falling face first into the ground.

"Okay. Volt show us **thunderbolt**."

Volt's antenna sparked as his entire body was enveloped in yellow lightning. He unleashed the bolt of lightning on the rock, cracking it and slightly burning it. As he reached a certain point, Volt cut off the power to the move.

"Woah. Nice thunder power Volt."

Volt nodded as he flexed his arms.

"Tyrunt your turn. **Earthquake**."

The Royal Heir Pokémon growled as he jumped up with all his might and came down. On impact with the ground, a vibration was sent throughout the ground causing Ash to shake slightly but not enough to cause destruction of a high order.

"Don't worry Tyrunt we'll get it down. Scyther your turn, **aerial ace."**

Scyther crossed both hands together as he flew at a tree. Few seconds into the flight, Scyther reached the loop point. He performed the loop and sped up faster than the normal eye and few seconds later, he pulled back and struck the tree, causing some leaves to fall.

"Nice improvement Scyther. Beedrill **sludge bomb."**

Beedrill flew in front of Ash and took on a battle stance. She formed the purple glob of poison in front of her and launched it at a tree. On impact with the tree, the glob exploded and the tree was poisoned. Within few seconds, the tree began to show signs of poison.

"Excellent Beedrill. Butterfree **wing attack."**

Butterfree coated his wings with flying type energy before using it to slam the tree Beedrill had already poisoned. On impact, the tree came down with a crash. Butterfree buzzed happily at his success in the move.

"Good job you guys. Nice job all of you. You guys all deserve a nice rest," Ash said as he returned all of them to their pokéballs.

"Serena, Misty. I'm done over here. Let's get to the Pokémon Center."

"Coming Ash," came the voices of Serena and Misty.

When the both of them arrived, they placed the clearing in order and made their way towards Cerulean City and it's Pokémon Center. It didn't take then long to reach the Pokémon Center, thanks to Misty. On entering the Pokémon Center, Ash, Misty and Serena walked up to Nurse Joy to register for three rooms. After registering for their rooms, they healed up their pokémon. Ash, Misty and Serena went up to check up on their rooms. As Ash entered his room, he dropped his bag and immediately went downstairs to heal his pokémon before making his way to the cafeteria area of the Pokémon Center. He was eating when he heard over the Center's speakers that his pokémon were ready for him to pick them up.

He quickly made his way to Nurse Joy and thanked her for healing them. He took them and went back to the cafeteria to finish his food. He would have released them to eat with him, but it was standard Center rules that no trainer should release his/her pokémon in the cafeteria, unless on special permission, to prevent them from disturbing others who are eating. The rule was established because of a trainer sometime ago called Morty Eugene. Apparently he had released a Snorlax, Munchlax and Gengar while he was eating at a Pokémon Center in Saffron City. The trio of pokémon had unleashed chaos on the Pokémon Center, destroying it during their food fight. When the authorities came, they warned Morty of this and he agreed not do it again. However, Morty once again released his pokémon when he was eating at a Pokémon Center in Lavender Town. His Gengar called for the assistance of some of the ghosts the in the Pokémon Tower, and they completely destroyed the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy had to call on the assistance of Pokémon Master Red who stopped the rampage with his Gengar. Seeing the results of the rampage, Red was so provoked that he revoked Morty's trainer's license and transfered custody of his pokémon to the Pokémon League. The next day, on International News, Master Red passed the decree that no trainer under normal circumstances was to release a pokémon in the cafeteria of a Pokémon Center. He also said that the consequence of been caught with a pokémon in the cafeteria would ultimately lead to the trainer's license been revoked and the custody of the pokémon would be transferred to the Pokémon League.

Lucky for Ash, the cafeteria also served pokémon food. But, the pokémon would had to eat it outside. Ash had already ordered for food, specifically for his pokémon's needs. After he finished eating, he went to collect his order and he went outside to the Pokémon Center's training area. He released all his pokémon and gave each of them food in preparation for their training. After an hour of eating, Ash had his pokémon rest for another hour while he worked on their strategy for tomorrow's gym battle.

According to the information Misty had given him, the gym battle was a three-on-three battle. Ash very well knew that his battle was be a one gym badge battle, since he only had one gym badge. First, the Cerulean gym was a water type gym. He did not plan on using Blaze because he knew that in a one gym badge battle, he would decimate the gym's pokémon. Butterfree and Beedrill we're out of the equation. They weren't prepared to face gym battles yet, and Ash was saving them for Koga and Erika. Cleffa was a decided no. He had just caught her and they had not build that relationship for her to be used in a gym battle. Tyrunt was young and had a type disadvantage to the pokémon at the gym. That left Volt, Psyduck and Scyther. Volt had a type advantage over the gym and he would be a nice addition in tackling them. Scyther had experienced a gym battle before and although he was weak against ice attacks that water pokémon were capable of using, Ash did promise him a battle. Psyduck was of the Sam typing as the gym's pokémon so it was going to be a fairly even fight. But before the battle Ash would have to work on some moves with them. He planned on teaching Scyther metal claw and teaching Psyduck ice beam. And that was what Ash thought about form the entirety of the hour.

'_Time's up already,' _Ash thought to himself.

"Time's up guys. Let's get down to business. As you all know, tomorrow is our gym battle. The battle is going to be three-on-three battle and I know the three I want to use. The three are Psyduck, Scyther and Volt."

The mentioned three pokémon became excited on hearing that they were battling tomorrow during the gym battle.

"Don't get sad the rest of you. You'll soon get a gym battle. Don't worry. Now, before the battle tomorrow, there are some things I'd like to work on. Blaze, I want you to teach Scyther **metal claw**."

The glance that Blaze sent at Scyther made the normally calm bug/flying type scared. Ash knew that the training was going to be brutal for Scyther.

"Psyduck, I'm going to teach you **ice beam**. The rest of you are going to work on your previous moves. Volt work on **thunderbolt**. Begin."

After showing, Psyduck a clip of a pokémon using** ice beam **and explaining it to him, Ash left him and went to analyze them once more. Two hours had passed and Ash went to check on them and their progress.

"Hey Blaze, how's **metal claw?"**

"See for yourself Ash," Blaze responded.

Ash turned to Scyther who had his scythes in front of him. Soon they took on a metallic sheen as he moved towards a boulder. Scyther slashed at the boulder and it split in two.

"Good job Scyther. I want you to keep practicing **metal claw**. Blaze, work on your **fire blast.** I'm going to check on the others."

Ash worked away to check on the others. Psyduck's** ice beam **was borderline average due to the fact that he was a water type. Volt's **thunderbolt** was getting much more powerful and so we're the attacks of the others.

"That's okay guys. Come here."

Ash waited for all of his pokémon to walk up to him.

"You guys have done well. You've gotten down your moves well and we are here for the final training before tomorrows battle. This is going to be an accuracy and evasion training. I want all of you to work together and try to strike Psyduck, Scyther and Volt."

The rest of his pokémon turned towards the three that they were to attack and there was a unanimous cry of understanding.

"Now begin."

Ash, Misty and Serena where standing outside the Cerulean Gym. They walked inside and saw a girl behind a counter. Ash assumes her to be the receptionist and so he walked up to her.

"Hello. My name is Ash Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town and I'd like to battle the gym leaders for the Cascade badge."

The receptionist nodded as she pressed a button on her desk and said, "You have a challenger today. Make your way to the gym arena."

She turned to Ash and said, "The Sensational Sisters will be down soon. Please make your way to the gym just right that way."

"Thank you," Ash said as he, Misty and Serena made their way to the gym entrance. As they reached the entrance, they saw four females making their way to the arena from another entrance.

Ash looked at them and noticed that one had yellow hair, another had violet hair and another had pink hair. He knew that those were the ones he was going to battle because the other lady was dressed in a standard referee's uniform.

"Well, well, well. The runt has finally returned home," the one with yellow hair said.

"I haven't returned home. I'm traveling with Ash. I came here to watch him beat the Cerulean gym."

"So he's our challenger. I'm Daisy and these are my younger ones Violet and Lily."

"I'm Ash Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town and I'd like to challenge you for the Cascade badge."

"We accept. And from your data, this is going to be a one gym badge battle. Are you ready?" Violet asked.

"Yeah, let's get on with it."

"Will the friends of the challenger please move to the bleachers so that the battle can commence," the referee said.

Misty and Serena left the battle area.

"This is a three-on-three battle with no substitutions between Ash Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town and the Sensational Sisters of the Cerulean Gym. The battle will be over when the three pokémon from one side are unable to battle. Gym leader has the first pick."

"Shellder you're up," Like said as she threw her pokéball, releasing a Shellder.

"Scyther let's do this," Ash said as he released the Mantis Pokémon.

"Challenger has the first move. Scyther vs Shellder begin."

"Scyther **agility**."

Scyther immediately opened his wings as he took to the skies, circling Shellder and boosting his speed.

"Shellder **ice beam.**"

Shellder fired the **ice beam** attack at Scyther but missed because Scyther was moving faster.

"Go in with **metal** **claw**."

"Use **withdraw."**

Scyther's scythes attained a metallic sheen as he dove towards Shellder. Shellder was able to withstand the attack by using **withdraw** and retreating to his shell.

"Slam him against the water."

Scyther quickly brought forth his other Scyther and slammed Shellder on he surface of the water.

"Use **bug buzz **and follow up with **vacuum** **wave**."

Scyther flapped his wings so fast that they emitted red waves of sound energy that slammed into Shellder, dealing some damage, before hitting him with **vacuum** **wave**. Shellder became confused.

"**Agility** and **focus** **energy**."

"Shellder snap out of confusion and use **ice** **beam**!" Lily yelled.

Scyther immediately began to increase his speed before stopping to raise his critical-hit ratio.

While Scyther was raising his critical-hit ratio, Shellder bashed his head against the water surface repeatedly until he was cleared of confusion. He turned to face Scyther and blasted him with **ice** **beam** faster than Ash could issue a command. The super-effective move slammed into Scyther and sent him flying into a pillar near the pool.

"Shellder **aurora** **beam** and follow up with** ice beam**."

"Scyther get up and dodge."

Shellder fired **aurora** **beam** at Scyther who used his scythes to block at the last minute. As Ash saw the situation Scyther was in, an idea entered his head as ye saw the incoming ice beam.

"Scyther block **ice** **beam** with your frozen scythes and then hit Shellder."

"No way," Lily said.

Scyther used his frozen scythes to block **ice** **beam** as he pushed his way towards Shellder. As he neared him, Scyther swing his frozen scythes and sent Shellder flying.

"Way to go Scyther," Serena cheered from the bleachers.

"Into the air with **metal** **claw** and slam your scythes against the roof until the ice breaks."

"Shellder freeze him with **ice** **beam**."

Scyther began slamming his scythes against the roof while he was using **metal** **claw**. The **ice** **beam** Shellder fired hit Scyther's leg and caused him pain, but he fought through it until he freed his scythes.

"Use a low powered **metal** **claw** to remove the ice from your feet."

Scyther reduced the power behind his **metal** **claw**, as he slashed at the ice on his feet. He soon freed himself and began circling Shellder while using agility.

"Shellder, **water** **gun** and follow up with **ice** **beam**."

Shellder fired the short stream of water at Scyther, before freezing it with **ice** **beam**.

"Dodge with **quick** **attack**. Circle Shellder."

Scyther dodged the attack using **quick** **attack**, before coming back to circle Shellder.

'He might attack again,' Lily thought. "Shellder **withdraw**."

"Force Shellder out of his shell with **vacuum** **wave**."

Scyther quickly slammed into Shellder's shell with **vacuum** **wave** repeatedly. The Bivalve pokémon couldn't take it anymore, so he came out of his shell.

"I've never seen anyone use moves like this," Lily muttered.

"Scyther, **agility** into **quick** **attack** around Shellder."

After boosting his speed for the fourth time, Scyther began using **quick attack** around Shellder, leaving only trails of white. The result was a whirlpool that began to form under Shellder.

"Oh my gosh!" came the voices of the Sensational Sisters, Serena, Misty and the Ref.

Ash smiled. This was his plan. The four speed boosts and the quick attack wouldn't be enough to form a very strong, and powerful whirlpool, but it would be enough to form one that will throw Shellder off balance.

"Oh no!" Lily cried, as Shellder was bashed around by the whirlpool. After watching Shellder been bashed around, she turned to Ash.

"Nice strategy Ash," she commented.

"Thank you," he responded.

"But," Lily continued. "I'm not a Gym leader for nothing. Shellder use the whirlpool to propel yourself and use** ice beam**."

Using the water currents, Shellder was able to align himself and fire **ice** **beam** at Scyther.

"Scyther. I want you to use **metal** **claw** and tuck yourself in like a spear. Add **steel wing **and spin towards Shellder."

Scyther nodded slightly as he began to use **metal** **claw**. Slowly, he tucked himself in like a spear. His wings started taking on a metallic sheen, but that was all. Scyther did not spin. He was just moving in circles as he blocked** ice beam** with his scythes. He was still taking damage from the **ice** **beam**, due to been a part bug and flying type.

"Come on Scyther. We need you to spin."

Lily was grinning. "Shellder, amp. the power of** ice beam.**"

The power of the ice beam was amplified to its fullest, but Scyther still tried to endure the attack.

"Scyther come on. We need you. The team needs you. I need you."

Still, nothing happened.

"Well, I guess the match is mine. Shellder wrap it up," Lily said with a laugh.

"You're gonna be the best Scizor ever!" Ash yelled.

As he said this, Scyther's eyes opened. '_Ash is helping me with my dreams of becoming the best Scizor and I owe him that. I should also try my best,_' Scyther thought. Scyther screeched as he began to spin. Soon, his body was coated with a green aura.

As Ash saw the green aura, one thought came to his mind. '_Swarm. Scyther's health must be low.' Ash chuckled. "You can do it Scyther."_

Thanks to Scyther's technician ability, **metal** **claw**'s power was boosted by one and a half times that of normal. As Scyther continued spinning, he whipped up a much more violent whirlpool and Shellder was trashed about by the waves and the others were also splashed by the water.

Ash looked at Scyther. His whole body was covered in a metallic sheen. '_**Iron defense..**__. impossible. Scyther doesn't know __**iron defense **__and it's not a move that Scyther can learn naturally, unless... That must be it. The use of __**Steel**__**wing**__ while spinning at such speeds must have initiated the process for the move to be used. While spinning, his body must have unconsciously spread the steelic energy around itself.'_

"Scyther..." Ash muttered. Said pokémon was still flying in circles to boost his speed as much as he could, while Shellder was been tossed around by the waves.

Ash smiled. "Finish it Scyther."

Scyther suddenly stopped mid-air as he directed his course of flight at Shellder. As he neared Shellder, he yelled. "_Scyther scy-scyther," _something Ash understood as "**Iron** **Spear** **Slash**."

He slashed at Shellder. Although water resisted steel type, Shellder had latent ice type Gene that would be made dormant when he evolves into Cloyster. This gave **metal** **claw** a slight advantage. This, coupled with been boosted by Technician, Swarm and the speed boost from four agilities, and the speed at which the move was released, Shellder stood no chance. As the attack crashed into Shellder, he was sent crashing to the bottom of the pool. As he resurfaced, he had swirls in his eyes.

"Shellder is unable to battle, the match goes to Scyther. Gym leader send out your next pokémon."

"I can't believe I lost!" Lily screeched as Violet entered the Gym leader's box, while she left.

"Alright Ash. You have an unpredictable battle style, but that doesn't mean you'll, like win against me. Go Starmie."

Out of Violet's pokéball came the Mysterious Pokémon.

Ash looked at Scyther. He was struggling to hold himself up in the air. The** Iron Spear Slash** combo took a lot of energy for Scyther to perform. Ash knew what he had to do.

"I forfeit Scyther."

"What?" came the voice of everyone.

"I forfeit Scyther."

"Why?" Misty asked.

"Look at him. He can barely fly. Sending him to battle a fresh pokémon would be cruel on my part. His will to not give up is one thing, and going up against someone when you can barely move is another thing. I know also that one of your duties as Gym leaders is to also test the bond between trainer and pokémon," Ash said as he gestured for Scyther to come to him.

"You did good buddy. Rest up," Ash said as he recalled him.

_'Starmie huh? My best bet is Psyduck.' _"Go Psyduck," Ash said as he released the Duck Pokémon.

"Starmie vs Psyduck."

"What are you gonna do Ash? Starmie resists most of Psyduck's attacks. Starmie **rapid** **spin**."

Starmie began spinning rapidly as it went straight for Psyduck.

"Into the water."

"After it."

Psyduck quickly dove into the water to avoid the attack, but Starmie gave chase. Ash smirked. Violet had fallen for his trap.

"Surface and** ice beam** the pool."

"Starmie out."

Psyduck quickly resurfaced as he heard Ash's voice. As he emerged, he quickly froze the pool with ice beam. Starmie wasn't lucky enough and was trapped underneath. After some seconds, the pool was covered in a two and a half inch layer of ice. The ice prevented Starmie from escaping.

Ash smirked. His plan was working.

"Psyduck wait."

Psyduck was surprised at his command but obeyed. His trainer knew what was best and he was right. Ash knew what was best. He was letting Psyduck wait to achieve two things. First, let the cold seep into Starmie's body and weaken it a little. Second, he was trying to figure out Starmie's movement pattern. Soon Ash figured it out and he turned to face Psyduck.

"Psyduck jump and come down with **cross** **chop** right there," he said pointing to a spot.

"What's he planning?" Misty asked Serena.

"Typical Ash. Very unorthodox. Watch and see," Serena responded as the two turned their eyes to the pool.

Violet's eyes widened as she realized his plan. 'Damn this kid.'

Psyduck also realized it, and on reaching his climax in the air, Psyduck shot a small blast of water to increase his acceleration due to gravity. As he came down, both of his arms were glowing white and where crossed in front of his chest. When he came within striking distance, Psyduck swiped both arms in front of him. As his hands came in contact with the ice, it shattered, the force pushing Starmie to the bottom of the pool where some if the ice shards even hit it.

"Starmie!" Violet cried.

Starmie slowly floated up to the surface.

"Good Starmie. **Recover**."

Ash smirked. "**Disable**."

Immediately, Starmie felt the psychic block over recover.

"I played right into his trap," Violet said.

"We're not done yet. **Hypnosis** and **future** **sight**."

Psyduck looked at Starmie as his eyes swirled. Starmie couldn't help but feel drowsy at the sight of Psyduck's eyes. It fell on one of the ice shards and was fast asleep. Psyduck looked up as he unleashed the **future** **sight** attack. Starmie was now at the mercy of Psyduck.

"**Ice** **beam** and **cross** **chop**."

Psyduck froze Starmie with **ice** **beam** before slamming the ice structure with cross chop. On impact, the ice shattered and Starmie was sent flying, and all Violet could do was yell for Starmie to wake up.

"Use **screech**."

Psyduck opened his mouth and let loose and ear-splitting screech that lowered Starmie's defense and caused everyone to cover their ears.

"Freeze your hands with **ice** **beam**."

Without doubting Ash, Psyduck froze his hands.

"Now use **cross** **chop** separately."

Gathering the energy for cross chop in his frozen hands, Psyduck ran at Starmie and slammed his right hand into it, followed by his left hand, before jumping back to Ash's side. The impact caused Starmie to wake up.

"Starmie **hydro** **pump**."

Before Starmie could even form the powerful water type move, it was hit with he future sight attack hit and stunned it.

"No!" Violet said.

"Use **brine** and end it with **ice** **chop**."

Psyduck reared his head back and blasted Starmie with jet of saltwater. Due to the fact that Starmie's health was less than half, the move doubled in power. He ran at Starmie before chopping it with a frozen right hand and sending it into the water. Starmie's body floated up as the jewel at it's center began blinking rapidly before it went blank.

"Starmie is unable to battle. The match goes to Psyduck. Gym leader send out your next pokémon."

"That was amazing Ash," Misty yelled.

"Nice going Ash," Serena said.

"Thanks guys," Ash responded. "It's time buddy."

Psyduck quacked in affirmation as Ash returned him in forfeit.

"What are you doing Ash?" Misty asked.

"Yeah Ash. What gives?" Serena asked.

"Guys calm down. This is Psyduck's second gym battle, and I figured this guy use it to gain experience."

"Challenger. Do you wish to forfeit your Psyduck?" the Referee asked. Ash nodded.

Challenger Ash Satoshi Ketchum has forfeited his Psyduck. Challenger, release your final pokémon."

"Let's do this Volt."

Out of the friend ball came the Electric Pokémon.

"Finally going for a type advantage," Daisy said as she entered the leader's box. "Must be due to the fact that you don't stand a chance against me. Go Seel."

Out of Daisy's pokéball came the Sea-Lion Pokémon.

"Elekid vs Seel begin."

"**Tackle**," Ash said.

"You think tackle is going to work against my Seel. Seel show 'em a real **tackle**."

Ash smirked. "Don't always go in head first. Volt **thundershock**."

One of the things that his Dad's Electivire, Zeus, had shown Volt was how to fire electric attacks while running and that was what Volt did. Without stopping, he blasted Seel with the electric move. Seel was sent skidding back.

"**Karate** **chop**."

"**Icy** **wind**."

"**Thunderspeed**."

As a breath of ice escaped Seel's mouth, Volt uses **thunderspeed** to avoid been hit.

"What kind of move is that?" Daisy asked.

"**Thunderspeed** is a move Volt created. By revving his arms to generate electricity, he can use it boost his speed slightly, but for a long distance and at short bursts of power. Now after Seel with **sky** **launch** and **karate** **chop**."

Volt's hands sparked with electricity as he slammed them on the ice, pushing himself forward towards Seel who he descended on with a super-effective **karate** **chop** and sending her into the water.

"**Sky** **launch** is a move that uses lightning to launch the user into the sky. **Sky** **launch** once more and max. **thunderbolt**."

Volt used **sky** **launch** to send himself into the air, before he unleashed his full power **thunderbolt** on the pool.

The electric move electrocuted the pool alongside Seel, as the pool was covered in yellow lightning. The move did not favour Seel. She was part water and ice type, increasing the effectiveness of electric attacks to four times normal. Also the fact that she was in a pool of water made the matter worse. And one more thing. Volt was shiny. Having double the power of normal Elekid. Seel was knocked out as Volt ended the attack.

**Hope you guys liked the chapter. No cliffhanger this time. As to anyone who read it, it's clear hat Ash has gotten his second gym badge. Scyther creates a new move combo, the 'Iron Spear Slash.' In the middle of the gym battle, Ash and Psyduck create a new combo move. Hope you guys liked the battle. I focused on Ash's unorthodox battling style and his ability to think of strategies on the spot. It was revealed in this chapter that Ash should go to the famous Pokémon Scientist Bill. The next chapter marks his debut and also, Ash's Scyther evolves. Can I hear some cheers. I hoped you guys liked the little history I threw into the chapter. I'll be doing more of these in most of the chapters. Some may be wondering, Where are Gary and Leaf? Don't worry, they'll soon appear once more. Ash gets one of our favourite pokémon in the next chapter. I'm also going to give a back story to one phenomenon the anime didn't explain: the Giant Dragonite at the Lighthouse. Ash also gets a pokémon egg. You're welcome to guess which pokémon egg it is. In the next chapter, a new pokémon is discovered in the _ region. Fill in the blank space. Well don't forget to Read and Review. Stay tuned for the next chapter: A Lighthouse Discovery. draconian216 out.**


	6. A Lighthouse Discovery

**Hi guys. draconian216 here with the latest update to Pokémon: Gotta Catch 'em All. In the previous chapter, Ash fought the Gym leaders Daisy, Lily and Violet for the Cascade badge and he earns it by defeating all of them. Before I give a short narrative, I want to give a shout-out to Lezaroth. It was his fanfiction, Pokémon Road of the Master that made me actually decide to write this fanfiction in the first place.**

**With that out of the way, I want to make something clear. There have been rumors that I copied Lezaroth's work to create this fanfic. Please I ask whoever is saying that to stop. It is true that the chapter one of this fic is similar to Lezaroth's but I had written this fic originally as as story arc before I knew about . It was because of Lezaroth that I decided to write it as a fanfic. I just made few adjustments to the story arc to fit that of pokémon. I apologise Lezaroth if this seems similar to your fanfic. Please do not be angry.**

**I apologise viewers for the lateness in the update. Like I said before, updates would be coming slower than usual because of my school work taking most of my time.**

**Ok. With that out of the way. Ash faces the strongest pokémon in the Cerulean Gym because of a little incident. What incident? You'd have to read and find out. In this chapter, I give a little backstory to the Giant Dragonite that appeared in the anime, and this story would play a role in the first development in the future. Ash gets a pokémon and a pokémon egg and some cool new gadgets from Scientist Bill. I also introduce another phenomenon in this chapter and I solve one of the anime mysteries, surrounding a particular pokémon in the anime. In this chapter, I also give hints of a new pokémon discovery in the Alola region. If you guessed that, you were correct. **

**Someone suggested I give a list of all trainers and their pokémon. I took into consideration. The full list with details would be made available on my profile and it will contain the name of the pokémon, gender, age, moves, combo moves, created moves and egg moves. Note: This is only for permanent characters, and the only two permanent characters we have are Ash and Misty but I have currently only prepared a list of Ash's pokémon, so for now it would only concern Ash.**

**Without further delay, I give you chapter 6 of Pokémon: Gotta Catch 'em All.**

_**Chapter 6: A Lighthouse Discovery**_

"Seel is unable to battle, the match goes to Elekid. Since the Gym leaders have lost all the pokémon, the victory goes to Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town."

"Yeah," Ash cheered. "Way to go Volt."

The little electric type revved both arms as his antennas sparked.

"Congrats Ash," Serena said as she hugged him.

"Yeah, nice job Ash," Misty said as she walked up to them.

"Thanks," Ash said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Well I must say," Daisy cut in. "I've never seen a trainer like you except for the current Pokémon Master."

"Yeah Ash," Violet said. "Carry that Master Legacy and make us proud."

"Your battle with me was amazing. Though you won't be able to beat my Elite team yet, you have the potential to do so," Lily said.

"And as proof of your victory at the Cerulean Gym, here is the Cascade badge," Daisy said as she handed the badge over to Ash.

"Thanks Daisy," Ash said as he took the badge from her. "Also Daisy?"

"Yes Ash."

"Would it be okay if I saw the strongest pokémon in your Elite team?"

"I don't mind at all Ash. Right this way," Daisy said as she turned around and began walking towards the back of the gym, followed by Violet and Lily. Ash, Serena and Misty soon followed them.

As they reached the back of the gym, there was a huge pool with different types of water pokémon swimming inside. Some other water type pokémon were also resting by the side of the pool. Ash's mouth went agape as he saw the different water pokémon ranging from the small ones like Luvdisc to the large Gyarados.

"Ash," Daisy said, snapping the young trainer out of his daze. "This is my partner and my most powerful pokémon, Gyarados. I've had her for about six years."

"Really? Your starter pokémon was a Magikarp?"

As Ash said this, the Gyarados turned to him with a glare.

"Umm...Daisy. What gender is your Gyarados?"

"Well he's male."

Ash gulped. Male Gyarados were very aggressive to those who they think do not take their Magikarp evolution seriously.

"I apologise Gyarados, I didn't mean it that way," Ash said as he tried to apologise.

The Gyarados growled before speaking. _"Likewise you do not appear worthy enough to be forgiven or even of that badge in your hands."_

What Ash heard as a deep and firm voice, the others heard as a loud roar. Daisy who understood her pokémon tried to interfere.

"Okay Gyarados, cut it out."

_"No way. If I had fought in that gym battle, I'd show this wannabe that the Magikarp-line is to be taken seriously."_

"I'm sorry for disrespecting your line and I humbly apologise for saying what I said."

_"Apology not accepted," _Gyarados said with a loud roar that shook everyone. The Gyarados brought his face to Ash's level and looked into his eyes.

Ash felt his soul been searched by the large Gyarados.

"Gyarados calm down," Daisy said. 'I thought we had passed this stage.'

Gyarados opened his huge mouth and growled a deep guttural growl that produced enough air to raise Ash's clothes. He had issued a challenge.

Soon, a flash of light emanated from Ash's belt and out came his Charmeleon who roared fiercely at the Gyarados.

Gyarados appeared to be amused for some time, but it soon turned into a sound Ash assumed to be laughter. Gyarados was laughing at the tiny Charmeleon that accepted his challenge. Apparently, Blaze didn't find anything funny in him accepting his challenge. He reared his head back and shot an emerald sphere of draconic energy at Gyarados. The sphere hit the large serpent's face and exploded, further angering the Gyarados.

Gyarados stared at Blaze who defiantly stared back. Gyarados growled and Blaze roared. The challenge was fixed. Gyarados was amused at Blaze's antics. He was about twenty-three feet in length and this Charmeleon was about four feet, and yet, he was been challenged by this same Charmeleon.

"Ash, I hope you know what you're doing. You just challenged the strongest pokémon in my party with a Charmeleon."

"Yeah. I know what I'm doing. We may not be strong enough to defeat Gyarados, but there's a reason I didn't use Blaze in the gym battle. He is my strongest pokémon. You ready Blaze?"

The fire type shot a **flamethrower** into the sky as he scanned his opponent. Yes he was bigger and stronger, but Blaze was not about to let anyone challenge his trainer and go unhurt.

Blaze brandished his claws as he eyed Gyarados.

Gyarados had the first move. He used what was natural of every Gyarados to use at the start of a battle. **Intimidate**. The standard ability for all Gyarados was **intimidate** which lowered the opponent's attack power. **Intimidate** involved the pokémon mustering up it's scary features and making the other pokémon feel inferior. In this case, it was different. Blaze was so angry that he didn't feel inferior to Gyarados in one bit. Realizing that his ability failed, Gyarados was angered and launched his attack. His tail was soon surrounded by water as he swatted at Blaze.

"Dodge and **flamethrower**."

Blaze ducked under Gyarados' tail before shooting a stream of fire at the Atrocious Pokémon. The stream of fire did nothing but anger Gyarados. Gyarados summoned water as he began to surf it. He was using **surf**. The attack hit everyone and soaked them.

"Blaze **protect** and** thunder punch**."

Blaze thrust his hands in front of him as he erected the green barrier. The water from surf hit the barrier with force, but Blaze was able to withstand it. After the attack ended, his hands sparked with electricity as he charged Gyarados. The huge serpent tried to swat it away, but to no avail. Blaze's **thunder** **punch** found its mark on Gyarados' face.

Gyarados roared as he fired a sphere of water at Blaze.

'_**Water pulse**_,' Ash thought. "Blaze, tear through it with thunder punch."

Blaze's hands sparked again. As the sphere of water neared Blaze, he tore through it with thunder punch.

"**Fire blast**."

Blaze shot the ball of fire at Gyarados and as it turned to the kanji for big, it was met with a **fire blast** from Gyarados. Both attacks clashed but Blaze's was overpowered by Gyarados'. As the fire attack approached Blaze, his hands were coated with flames as he used them to take the **fire blast**. After taking all the attacks, Blaze darted towards Gyarados and nailed him with the** fire punch** before using **thunder punch**. Gyarados didn't appear to take any damage from both attacks and he shot a** dragon pulse** at Blaze.

"Punch it back with **thunder punch**."

Blaze's right hand sparked with electricity as he eyed the incoming blue-green sphere of draconic energy. Blaze Drew his hands back and punched the sphere right back at Gyarados. The attack made Gyarados wince slightly before he gained himself.

_'Why did Gyarados feel that attack like that?' _Ash thought. "Blaze, **dragon pulse.**"

Blaze opened his mouth and shot his own sphere of draconic energy that nailed Gyarados in the face. Once again, Gyarados felt the attack well.

_'Why?' _Daisy thought.

Gyarados roared as he shot a **hydro pump** at Blaze. The water type move nailed the fire type in the face and sent him into the ground.

Seeing his opponent down, Gyarados began charging **hyper beam**. Halfway through the move, Blaze got up and shot a **fire blast** at the still charging attack, causing it to explode and push Gyarados back.

"Blaze, **dragon dance** and **dragon rush**."

Blaze began to dance a series of patterns as he was covered in emerald draconic energy. As the energy died down, Blaze was enveloped in a more fierce emerald draconic energy. He crouched slightly as he focused all his energy and power on the dragon rush, as he turned all attention to Gyarados.

Gyarados got up and was a bit startled by Blaze. This Charmeleon would go as far as protecting his trainer from an angry Gyarados more experienced and stronger than him. What was it that made this Charmeleon so bent on protecting him.

Charmeleon's eyes narrowed into slits. How dare this Gyarados challenge his trainer. Even if he was stronger, Charmeleon's was going to show him a thing or two about respect.

Gyarados backed away slightly as he saw the determination in Blaze's eyes. Gyarados mentally slapped himself. He was stronger, but he was showing fear to a smaller pokémon. 'No,' he mentally roared, and it soon became a growl in the physical. His tail became enveloped in emerald draconic energy.

Blaze roared as he leapt from the ground, a great force escaping his body. His direction was certain and his will was solid. **Dragon rush** and **dragon tail** clashed with a loud bang, with neither side giving in. Blaze was determined to bring down Gyarados and Gyarados was determined to not go down. They struggled to have an edge over the other, but eventually, Gyarados was able to slowly push Blaze back, thanks to his sheer bulk. Blaze poured in more power to his **Dragon rush** and Gyarados increase the intensity of **dragon tail**. Blaze could not match the ferocity of Gyarados and was soon defeated. He was sent crashing into the ground, and knocked out.

Ash silently returned Blaze as he stared down Gyarados. The huge serpent finally understanding why the Charmeleon was so determined. He looked at Ash, gave a nod before descending into the bottom of the pool.

"I'm sorry," Ash heard Daisy say.

"Why?"

"Because of Gyarados. He has anger issues when it comes to someone degrading the Magikarp-line."

"I understand that, but I didn't mean to."

"No problem Ash. He understands now."

"Thank you Daisy. I enjoyed our gym battle, and even if the battle with Gyarados was unexpected, I still enjoyed it."

"You're welcome Ash. Take care of Misty for us, and help her become a good trainer, she deserves it."

"Ugh! You guys. I'm leaving. You always baby me too much," Misty said as she turned towards the gym.

"Bye Daisy, Lily and Violet," Serena said.

"Bye," Lily and Violet said in unison.

"Take care Ash," Daisy said.

"Sure thing. Bye."

Ash, Misty and Serena exited the Cerulean Gym and headed for the Pokémon Center. As they entered the building, Ash healed the pokémon he used in the gym battle, alongside Blaze, while Misty and Serena went to the training yard.

After healing all his pokémon, Ash went to join Serena and Misty at the training yard.

"Come on out, everyone," Ash said as he released Blaze, Scyther, Psyduck, Volt, Cleffa, Butterfree, Beedrill, and Tyrunt.

"Hi guys. Thanks to Scyther, Psyduck, and Volt, we have won the Cascade badge."

As he said this, there was an uproar. All his pokémon cheered while Blaze launched a flamethrower into the sky.

"Settle down guys," Ash said to calm them down. "Scyther, Volt and Psyduck, we appreciate you guys for your performance during the battle, and for that, we are grateful. Scyther, you pushed yourself to the limit just so you could help us, and you have more than earned the right to evolve into a Scizor. And so..." Ash said as he searched his bag. When he brought his hands out, he was holding the metal coat they found at Mt. Moon.

"Scyther, are you ready?" Ash asked.

Scyther slowly nodded his head as he stared at the metal coat. It was every Scyther's dream to one day evolve into Scizor, and his was about to come through. Scyther was overjoyed in his heart that he began to hover above the ground as Ash approached him to place the metal coat on his scythes.

Ash placed the metal coat on his scythes and stepped back. For about three seconds, nothing happened. After that, the metal coat glowed a bright white. It levitated above his scythes, before engulfing Scyther in its light and completely covering him. Inside the white light, Ash could make out the power signature changes of Scyther using aura sight.

Scyther slowly became plated with a green armour. His scythes began to morph as another appendage grew from the bottom to join the first one, and forming the jaw-like arms of Scizor. His legs began to slim as they became only one toe. His wings grew extra plates on their backs and they became blue. Soon, the green armour slowly morphed into a red one. Scyther screamed as the lights died down. He was now a Scizor.

But that was not what caught Ash's attention.

"Scizor, you're flying?"

Ash was shocked. He had seen in the pokédex that Scizor can't fly, so why was his Scizor flying.

"Ash, I don't get it," Misty said.

"Yeah Ash. What's wrong?" Serena asked.

"Scizor can't fly. The pokédex said so."

"Then how's this possible?" Serena asked.

"I don't know. The pokédex has room for improvement... and this,... this may be one of them. All I have to do is figure out how Scizor flies."

"So?" Misty asked.

Ash was deep in thought for some seconds before something struck him.

"Scizor." Said pokémon looked at Ash.."Retract your wings. Take them inside."

Scizor focused as he learnt how to retract his wings. As he did so he fell.

"What now Ash?" Serena asked.

_'Now I know that it is his wings that make him fly,_' Ash thought. "Scizor, unretract your wings and try to fly on instinct."

Scizor nodded as he unretracted his wings and tried to fly. Soon he was hovering few centimeters above the ground, with difficulty. Ash went towards Scizor's back and inspected it. He looked at Scizor's wings and was surprised at what he saw. Scizor's bottom wings were vibrating rapidly at a regular pace, while the bigger ones were vibrating at a somewhat slower pace. 'Hmm...' he thought as he placed his hands below the wings and felt a powerful gust of wind.

"I guess this is something Bill can help me with."

"And what is that?" Serena asked.

"Why the pokédex said Scizor can't fly. Any of you coming?" Ash asked.

"I'd love to Ash, but I'd love to train for sometime," Serena said.

"Same here Ash," Misty said.

"Okay. Fine by me. Blaze, Cleffa and Scizor's, you're with me."

The mentioned beasts making sounds of understanding.

"The rest of you, run over all of your moves on targets. You can also help Serena and Misty if they need it."

He heard multiple cries of understanding as he left the Pokémon Center and began his trek towards Bill's lighthouse. It took almost an hour before he got to the lighthouse. He knocked on the large wooden doors and took a step back. After some time the doors opened to reveal a large pokémon.

_'A Kabuto,' _Ash thought._ 'Aren't they supposed to be small.'_

Ash took some steps back as Blaze and Scizor took on defensive stances.

"Wait, wait," Ash heard the Kabuto say. "Don't attack, I'm human."

Ash ordered Blaze and Scizor to stand down as he looked at the creature in front of him.

"Are you Scientist Bill?"

"Yes I am," the now known Scientist Bill responded.

"Why are you dressed as a Kabuto?"

"It's a long story, but can you please help me get out of the suit. I'd do it myself but my arms won't be able to reach that button."

"No problem," Ash said as he pressed the button. As soon as he pressed the button, the suit opened and out came Bill. He was dressed in a dark shirt, blue trousers and wore a white lab coat on top and donned black sandals.

"Thank you Ash. If you had not arrived, I might have been in that suit longer than this."

"No problem Mr. Bill."

"No need for formalities, just call me Bill."

"Uh... sure, Bill. My Dad instructed me to come and meet you."

"Yes, Pokémon Master Red. He told me that you were very smart and intuitive and that I may be able to assist you."

"Well, I do have something I need your help with."

"Before we get to that you have well-looking pokémon," Bill said as he gestured to Blaze, Scizor and Cleffa.

"Thank you Bill."

"No problem. You're just within a week of your journey and you have a fully evolved pokémon. That's not something that most pokémon trainers your age can boast of having."

"Thanks Bill."

"Now that I have admired your Pokemon, what is it that you need my help with."

"My Scizor."

"And what about your Scizor." At this moment, Bill was taking a sip from a cup of tea on a nearby table.

"Well, he can fly."

As Ash said this, Bill spat out the tea he was drinking.

"You're joking right?" Bill asked Ash.

"Nope, I'm as serious as Arceus using judgement."

"If you're serious, then I'd like to see that in person."

Okay. You ready Scizor?"

"Not here. Follow me," Bill gestured as he led Ash and his pokémon to the steps of the lighthouse. They began their walk, ascending the stairs, until the got to the fourth floor. Reaching the floor, Ash saw a door and watched Bill enter a sequence of codes and it opened. As he entered the room, he saw lots of machines he did not know about and saw lots of illustrations on pokémon.

"Wow. So many pokémon."

"Of course. Each floor of the lighthouse has only one large room, and this is one of them. It is the room where I work on my studies on pokémon. Shall we?" Bill said as he led Ash towards a computer.

"Amazing. You use the same computer as Prof. Oak."

"Well, I did design it," Bill said as he sat in front of the computer and gestured for Ash to sit beside him. Ash was about to sit down, but he felt something touch his leg.

"Aah," Ash yelled as he jumped. He looked down to see what touched him, and found I to be an Eevee.

"Sorry Ash, that's Eevee."

"Is she your pokémon?"

"No. When I moved in to this lighthouse, she was already there. She doesn't like to come near humans and only comes around me when she wants to eat. I tried touching her once, but she bit me. Ever since then I've let her be. But it is a surprise seeing her approach and even touch you."

"Oh okay," Ash said as he sat down on the chair with Cleffa while Blaze and Scizor stood behind him.

"You know," Bill started. "There are currently eight hundred and seven known pokémon, but there are more things we don't know about."

Ash nodded as Bill opened a file on Scyther and then on Scizor, allowing him to toggle between the two pokémon.

"Now Ash, what do you notice about these pokémon?"

"Well, Scizor appears bigger and heavier, but is also more aerodynamic than Scyther."

"True, all the more reason Scizor should be able to fly. But for some reason they can't."

Looking at the page, something caught Ash's eyes.

"Bill look here," Ash said, dragging the attention of Bill. "When Scyther evolve to Scizor, their weight doubles, with the addition of some extra kilos. Maybe the increased weight makes them feel that they can't fly."

"True, I noticed your Scizor was struggling to keep himself up. But that's not enough reason for them not to fly or how tour Scizor overcomed the weight and flew."

"Well, before he evolved, he was already flying."

"That's amazing but...," Bill suddenly jumped up.

"What is it Bill?" His sudden jump scared Cleffa and Eevee. She was sitting by their side.

"It just hit me."

"And what is that?"

"**Light metal**."

"**Light metal**? As in Scizor's hidden ability? What does it have to do with this?"

**"Light metal** is an ability that Scizor has that enables it move quicker in battle. Scizor possess hormones that when in battle, they are automatically released into its blood stream to halve their overall weight. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Ash pondered on it for sometime before understanding it. "Now I get it."

"Exactly. Shall we test the theory?"

"Of course," Ash said and they hurried back down an went outside the lighthouse. Blaze and Scizor where facing each other on opposite sides. Bill had a camera on hand and was intent on getting everything on footage.

"Blaze, I want you to attack Scizor with only **ember**. Scizor I want you to evade all the embers by flying. Understand?"

Both pokémon nodded as they started. Immediately, Scizor's body released hormones and his weight was halved, but the others didn't know. He felt lighter. Out of Blaze's mouth came small balls of fire. Scizor watched as the balls sailed through the air and approached him. Scizor unretracted his wings and he flew up avoiding the ember attack with ease.

The main test was done and Ash and Bill cheered wildly. Ash decided to have Blaze and Scizor continue their battle to let Scizor get used to flying.

Soon, Ash, Bill and the pokémon went back inside to the Pokémon Research Floor an they prepared a report with video footage on Scizor flying and they submitted it to the Pokémon League and the Regional Professors.

After submitting the report, they herd a loud sound. Bill appeared to be unsurprised by the sound so Ash asked him.

"What was that?"

"Come with me, I'll show you," Bill said and he led Ash out of the room, and to the top of the lighthouse. Bill ran towards a machine and began pressing keys.

"Uhh...Bill what's going on."

"When I first moved into the lighthouse, I was hearing strange sounds from the ocean below. I modified an old machine to be able to transmit and read the frequency of the sounds. I read the frequency to be a voice saying "I want to be your friend."

"I later sent out mine too, it said, "Who are you? I'd like to be your friend too." The reply I got was, "Thank you. I'll see you soon." And that was almost two weeks ago. Since then I've heard nothing."

"So does that mean it's coming today?"

Before Bill could answer, the frequency readings increased and a loud vibration was felt throughout the lighthouse. Bill put on headphones to start reading and transmitting the frequencies.

After some time, Bill got the right readings, "It says... It says," Bill slowly removed the headphones and looked at Ash. "I am here."

The sea erupted with a great force, shaking the lighthouse and the surrounding area. Storm clouds gathered above the Cerulean Cape and rain began to fall. There was a loud roar, and out of the sea emerged a huge creature. Ash and Bill couldn't see it due to the rain, but the pokémon could. Blaze's claws attained a metallic sheen. Scizor's huge mouth-like hands also attained metallic sheen.

The rain increased and a deep fog covered the surrounding areas of the lighthouse. The rain stopped and Ash and Bill were able to see the creature that came out of the sea.

"Oh my Arceus. A Dragonite... A gigantic one at that!" Bill exclaimed.

Ash was just too shocked to move. The Dragonite walked up to the lighthouse and peered inside. Bill and Ash were slightly trembling but Scizor stood protectively in front of them.

Blaze's eyes widened as he saw the elder Dragonite and he bowed, showing submission to the elder pokémon in front of him.

The Dragonite looked at all of them. Bill and Ash were quaking. Scizor was also scared but stood tall. Cleffa and Eevee, who had followed them out, both were standing behind Ash, and Blaze. He was on one knee, his head bowed towards the large Dragonite.

**"**_**Who responded to my message?!**_" The Dragonite asked.

"It... It was I," Bill said as he timidly stepped forward.

The Elder Dragonite noticed Bill's fear, and chuckled. "_**Perhaps this form scares you. Let me transform into one less intimidating**_."

As he said this he shrunk down to the size of a normal Dragonite. He flew into the lighthouse and stood in all majesty, easily towering above Scizor, who was the tallest among them, at a height of five-feet and ten point nine inches. The Dragonite stood at about seven-feet and five inches, with glamorous orange scales and small wings-to-body ratio. His very presence exuded an aura of power.

"_**Well then**_," the Dragonite started. **"Greetings humans. I am one of the Dragon Kings that roamed the various regions of this world."**

"Dragon Kings?!" Bill exclaimed.

_**"Yes. Each region has a Dragon King in charge of them that is only subject to the Legendaries of the region. The Dragon King where present during the warring periods of the world. But after that period of war, we took to slumber in various parts of the regions we where in charge of. I, myself just recently woke up to this modern world recently and I'm surprised to see that the world has changed greatly. I needed someone who could be able to feel me on the happenings in the world."**_

"With all due respect, King Dragonite, why me?" Bill asked.

_**"That is simple. You are all currently standing where my throne was. Yes, this was my throne during my time. It was my domain and my mountain top, from which I viewed the world. Before I continue, what is your name, young man?"**_

"My name is Bill. Bill Kingston."

_**"Bill. I shall forever remember that name as the name of the first human I befriended in this modern world. In time I will give you my name, but not now."**_

The King Dragonite that turned his attention to Ash. As he scanned Ash, he soon felt the dormant aura that was asleep within him, and recognized him as the Chosen One.

_**"You, boy,"**_ the Dragonite said.

"Yes," Ash responded with the utmost respect.

_**"What is your name?"**_

"Ash Satoshi Ketchum."

As soon as Ash called his last name, he could notice the Dragonite's eyes widen slightly. Scizor had moved closer to him and Blaze was still kneeling in front of him, and Cleffa and Eevee where huddling close to him.

_**"A Ketchum?! You there. You may rise."**_

The Dragonite said this to Blaze.

_**"A Ketchum huh, so they are still present in this generation."**_

"Excuse me King Dragonite, but do you know the Ketchums well."

_**"Of course!" **_the Dragonite thundered._** "My best friend was a Ketchum and he was the only one I trusted with my name and my life all those years ago. Destiny must be leading me to continue with my friendship with the Ketchums and before that, I must repay Jeremy Ketchum for the kindness he had done for me. Wait here."**_

The Dragonite said this and he took off, only to come back some seconds later, holding an egg.

_**"This," **_he said as he handed the egg to Ash, who took it._** "This is a Dratini egg. I want you to raise it into a powerful Dragonite that would be capable of defeating opponents, and like me, she would be able to attain to Mountain's Height. With that said, I bid you all goodbye. Bill we will be in touch."**_ Bill nodded.

_**"Ash Ketchum, you have a lot to discover about yourself. The pokémon around you are going to help you. As for this Charmeleon, train him to be the strongest Charizard possible and into an opponent capable of beating me in my Mountain's Height form. Come visit once in a while Ash Ketchum." **_With that said, the Dragonite flew out of the lighthouse. He grew to his true form and descended into the sea.

As he went, the atmosphere was lifted. The rain stopped,and the storm clouds gave way for light to penetrate the Cerulean Cape. The fog was lifted and it was now possible to see the lighthouse from the city.

"Wow...," was the only word Ash was able to mutter. The awe-inspiring power of the King Dragonite was much to comprehend and he didn't even show his actual power.

"Ash." No response.

"Ash." Still no response.

"Ash!" The boy still could not hear. He was too deep in thought about the Dragonite's power.

It was through a light **flamethrower** from Blaze that he was able to regain his senses.

"Blaze!" Ash exclaimed. "What'd you do that for?"

Ash was currently sprawling across the ground. Blaze just wore a proud look on his face as he crossed his arms. Cleffa and Eevee were giggling on the floor.

"Ash!"

"Yeah Bill."

"Let's get back inside. This experience has rocked me to the very core of my existence."

"Yeah. Come on guys," Ash said as he followed Bill back into the lighthouse. They walked back to the Pokémon Research Room. As they reached the computer, Bill saw a message on the screen. He clicked on it and it opened.

The message read,

' Bill,

Well done on this new discovery. Before I wrote this message to you, the Professors must have uploaded this new information to their drives, especially Professor Oak, since he manages the Pokédex. I've also instructed all Professors to send this update info to the various trainers under them. As for those not under Professors, the League will handle it. And that's only for those who have the Kanto Pokédex or the National Pokédex. As for you two, well done, especially the young Ketchum. Bill I'm sure you know what to do but, I don't think the young one knows, so tell him to check his Trainer's Account. That's all for now, keep up the good work.

Yours sincerely,

Charles Good show,

President of the Pokémon League.'

That was what the message read.

"What did he mean by 'my Trainer's Account?'" Ash asked.

" Why don't you open it and see," Bill told him.

Ash quickly opened his Trainer's Account through his pokédex and gasped at what he saw.

**"Total amount: #126,750**

**Received #60,000 from the Pokémon League Account today for contributing to Pokémon Research.**

**Received #10,000 from the Cerulean Gym Account today"**

Ash stopped it there.

"I never knew I had this amount of money in my account."

"Seems to me that you don't check your Trainer's Account. The League sends a sum of money to those in the system for various reasons. Like this, we were both paid a sum of sixty-thousand poké dollars for contributing to research. You should know this. It's very important to anyone during anything related to pokémon. It's our means of earning."

One of the received caught Ash's attention.

**"Received #55,000 from the Pokémon League Account for assistance in warding off Team Rocket at Mt. Moon."**

" That's good to know," Ash said. " But now I have to head back to Pallet Town to update my pokédex."

"I don't think that would be necessary," Bill said.

"How?" Ash asked.

"Come. Let me give you a tour of the lighthouse."

"Um... Okay." Ash was holding the Dratini egg inside an incubator as he Blaze, Scizor and Cleffa followed Bill. Eevee had already wandered off at this point.

They walked up to the floor above the Pokémon Research Room.

"This is my quarters and that of my assistant and fiancee, Layla. She's not here right now and nothing major is here. Let's move on."

Bill led them down to the floor directly below the Pokémon Research Room.

"This floor contains the Trainer Research Room. This is the room where I work on the various tools that can assist a trainer on his journey."

Bill typed a password into the door and it opened.

As Ash stepped inside, he saw various tools and devices on shelves, and on tables. He saw the standard PokéGear that was used in Johto, the PokéNav of Hoenn and the Xtransceiver of Unova. Bill led him to a shelf where he picked up a chip.

"Ash. The Pokémon League instructed me to create this chip. It is a chip that is linked with Professor Oak's Super Pokédex computer. This allows it to automatically update the pokédex whenever Professor Oak updates his. Have it."

"Are you serious?!" Ash asked.

"Of course I am."

"Thanks Bill," Ash said as he placed the chip into a slot in the pokédex. After placing in the chip, the pokédex began to update. After the update was over, it restarted itself.

The pokédex turned on and Ash's upper body was shown on the screen. The pokédex started.

**"I am Dexter, a National Dex given by Professor Oak to trainer Ash Satoshi Ketchum as a tool to assist him in his journey as a trainer. If lost, I can never be replaced."** Then the pokédex screen came up.

"Go on. Issue a command."

"Pokédex give me Scizor's entry page and skip to what it says about flight."

"**Due to research done on the Seventh of January, Two-thousand and Nineteen, by trainer Ash Ketchum and Scientist Bill Kingston. It has been revealed that Scizor can actually fly. Evidence from this video footage proves it. According to Trainer Ash and Scientist Bill, the reason wild Scizor don't fly is because they feel they are too heavy to fly-**"

"Pokédex enough." The pokédex stopped.

"Bill thank you so much."

"You're welcome. Also, I'm currently working on a program with Devon Corp that allows you scan your pokémon for injuries and all of those status effects. It should be ready by next year, so you and your friends and any other trainer who they feel is ready enough can use it."

"I know of one."

"And who's that?"

"Paul Shinji from the Sinnoh Region."

"Oh. Then I'll look into him. The next thing I want to give you is this," Bill said as he held out another chip for Ash.

"Another chip?"

"Yes, and it's for your Xtransceiver."

"What does it do?"

"Well, it upgrades it to the holographic model that has maps of every known place in the world, and so much more. Here are the codes to use it."

Ash took the chip and place it in a slot on the Xtransceiver while he looked at the codes. He took a deep breath and spoke. "Xtransceiver, activate."

The Xtransceiver turned on and revealed the holographic screen with a loading animation.

"**Initiating activation,**" the Xtransceiver started. "**Activation complete. Voice registered, Ash Satoshi Ketchum**."

"That's so cool," Ash said as he deactivated it.

"Ash, I have something to ask you. I'm sure you know that the Indigo League is in One year, and eleven months and some days."

"Yeah, why?"

"It's been only seven days and you have two badges. Why not take some time to enjoy your journey. You didn't just come on this journey to win all eight badges and participate in the Indigo League. You are also journeying to capture, meet and get to know various pokémon. Please do not rush that. I also told Leaf and Gary the same thing and they agreed."

"Oh."

"So will you agree to take it easy."

"I can try."

"Good. Let's move on. Now, next is the Trainer Accessory Room. This is the continuation room to the Trainer Research Room."

As they reached the floor, Bill typed in a password again and the door opened. Ash stepped into the room and saw various gadgets like bicycles, gloves, goggles and other gadgets.

"Here," Bill said, gesturing towards Ash.

Ash walked up to him.

"This is the latest and advanced version of training weights in the world. They are designed over an interface that allows that to be stored in their own cyberspace, accessible through the Xtransceiver."

Bill handed the weights over to Ash who placed them in his bag.

"Thanks Bill," Ash said as he held the egg close to him.

"Over here," Bill said as he walked towards a table.

Ash walked towards Bill who was holding a fairly large cube in his hands.

"What is it Bill?"

"This is the latest model of the Mach Bike. It provides for a faster and more enjoyable ride. Here, I want you to have it, and no, I didn't give it to Leaf and Gary."

"Thank you Bill. Uh...Bill, can I ask you a favour."

"What is that?"

"Can you help me get another bike. You see, I accidentally destroyed a bike and I promised to pay it back."

"Well, no problem with that."

Bill walked around before coming back with a cube in his hands.

"Here. This is the previous update of the Mach Bike."

"Thanks Bill. You've really helped me out."

"Come on. Let's move on to the next floor."

As usual, they moved down one floor.

"This is the Pokémon Items Floor," Bill said as they entered the room. "This room contains various pokémon items like the evolutionary stones, and it is where I do my research on them."

"Okay."

"Come on. The last floor awaits."

As they reached, Bill opened the door.

"This is the Berry room. I do research on all the known berries and their effects."

"That's cool."

"I've been working on a storage compartment for berries that I call the Berry Pouch. It uses the same mechanism that all trainer bags use. It allows you store an unlimited amount of berries," Bill said as he handed the pouch to Ash.

"Take it. It has one of every known berry in the world, and besides, Leaf and Gary have one too."

"Thank you do much Bill," Ash said as he took it and place it in his bag.

Soon enough they where downstairs. The Eevee from earlier walked up to Ash and sat by his side.

"Huh?" Ash asked, clearly confused.

"Ash, it seems that Eevee here wants to come with you."

"Are you sure Eevee? Is that your decision?" Eevee nodded and licked her fur.

Ash took one of his spare friend balls and tapped her head, officially catching her, before releasing her. The fact that she didn't seem surprised when she saw his pokéball led Ash to believe that she may have been with another trainer before.

"Thank you Bill. For everything," Ash said as he shook the older man.

"I should be thanking you Ash. You helped me make friends with the King Dragonite and because of you, we now know that Scizor can fly. You've been a great help. Do Kanto proud by becoming a strong and powerful trainer."

At that moment, Ash's Xtransceiver beeped and came on.

"**New pokémon species discovered in Alola. More details will be relayed soon. Pokémon Professors and Scientists from all regions are needed in Alola."**

"New pokémon species! After three years, a new pokémon species. Remember everything I said about enjoying your journey," Bill said before dashing off into the lighthouse and shutting doors behind him.

"Bye!" Ash shouted as he began his trek back to the Pokémon Center. Ash was holding Dratini's egg in his incubator as he walked to the Pokémon Center. Scizor was carrying Cleffa and was walking alongside Blaze, and Eevee. The normal type joining him came as a surprise. Ash had no plans of catching any pokémon again for a while except they agreed to follow him or that it was a special condition. It didn't take long for them to get to the Center, but Ash was lying if he said he didn't get curious glances from trainers inside the Pokémon Center. That was expected. Here is a first year trainer with a Charmeleon, a Scizor, a rare Cleffa, a rare Eevee and to top it all off, a pokémon egg. He ignored all glances as he gave the pokémon and the egg to Nurse Joy to check on them. After checking on all of them, Ash went to the training yard out back.

He saw Tyrunt using **rock throw** on Beedrill who dodged and fired a barrage of **poison** **stings** at Tyrunt. His eyes trailed over to Butterfree blasting Volt with **confusion**. The electric type dodged and launched a **thunderbolt** attack. Psyduck was practicing **ice** **beam** on a tree. Misty's Staryu, Gyarados, Goldeen and bother her Poliwags were engaged in a sparring match, with Misty occasionally calling out attacks to any of them. Serena was instructing Braixen, Pancham, Clefairy, Charmander and Sandshrew.

He saw Braixen use **flamethrower**, before using **psychic** to hold the flames. His bet was on Braixen been used in the first contest

"Hey guys, I'm back and we have company," Ash announced.

"Ash!" Serena and Misty said as they all ran to meet him.

"Hey guys," Ash said as he hugged his pokémon. This is Eevee, our new member of the family."

Beedrill, Butterfree, Volt, Tyrunt and Psyduck where the only ones that were not acquainted with Eevee. Blaze, Scizor, Cleffa and Ash had gotten to know during their walk back to the Pokémon Center. The group of five made their way over to her and introduced themselves. Eevee looked slightly startled, but she maintained her form. Ash noticed this and bent down to her level.

"Eevee," he said as he rubbed her fur. "Don't worry girl. These are all my pokémon and the members of your new family. This is Beedrill, Butterfree, Volt, Tyrunt and Psyduck. They are all your family now and they are going to help me take care of you."

As he continued rubbing her fur, he spoke again. "Some of my pokémon here have nicknames to distinguish them from the others. Would you like to have one or would you like to be known as only Eevee?"

Eevee thought about it for a while. While the idea of having a nickname was tempting, she wanted to be only known as We've, and for her personality to speak the rest. She shook her head.

"Fine. Eevee it is."

"Hi Ash, Hi Eevee," Serena said as she walked up to them.

Eevee turned towards her and growled, but she was silenced by Ash.

"No growling Eevee. That's Serena. She's a friend, so no growling. That's Misty. Another friend, and those are their pokémon. Understood?"

_"Yes,"_ Eevee responded.

"Serena. I guess this is where we part ways. Misty and I will began the journey to Vermillion City today. I wish you the best of luck in your contest tomorrow. Sorry we can't stay."

"Okay Ash, Misty. You take care," Serena said as she hugged Misty, the red-head also returning the hug.

"You take care too Serena, and good luck."

Serena pulled out of the hug and went to hug Ash.

"Don't worry Serena, we'll see each other real soon," Ash said as he hugged her.

"Take care of yourself Ash," Serena said as she pulled away from the hug and gave the raven-haired trainer a peck on the cheek.

Ash smiled a sheepish smile as he returned all his pokémon except for Blaze, Cleffa and Eevee. He bent down to the level of Serena's pokémon and said to them. "You guys. Do your best to support Serena in her first contest. She's gonna need all the support from you guys, her second family. Perform your appeals well and battle well for her sake. Make sure protect her from whatever you feel might hurt her. She is your trainer, so as she loves you, you love her back, equally. No fighting amongst yourselves. No matter the dispute you may have between yourselves, when it comes to Serena, make sure to settle it, because if one thing is sure, it would break my heart to see her cry. Will you do that?" Ash asked them.

_"Yes sir,"_ they all responded.

Ash turned to Misty one more time. "Goodbye and good luck," he said as he and Misty began their trek to Vermillion City.

"Goodbye Ash. Goodbye Misty."

"Bye!" Misty called back, and they were soon out of sight.

**That concludes this chapter. Hope no one is mad because Serena is leaving the scenes for sometime. Ash has one evolved pokémon added to his arsenal. Hope you guys liked the battle scene between Blaze and Gyarados. When I began writing this fic, my plan was to have Ash's pokémon go up against stronger opponents so that they can get battle experience. Secondly, I hope you guys liked the explanation I gave concerning Scizor not been able to fly. There are some things in the anime that just don't add up and like I said in the beginning, this is a rewrite of the anime. Mountains Height, a new phenomenon that is similar to the Dyamax feature for the new Pokémon Sword and Shield games. Please note, I came up with this phenomenon before the Dynamax announcement came out. A new legend was been revealed. Dragon Kings. Out of the Dragon Kings for all regions, only one has been revealed. Prediction time. Try to predict the various pokémon I have picked as the Dragon Kings. Ash catches Eevee. I don't know if anyone saw this coming, but I've always loved linking Eevee with Bill's lighthouse. Ash has a new egg, and it's a Dratini egg. He now has two dragon types on his team. In the next chapter, Ash and Misty are going to meet up with two other trainers. Team Rocket shows up again in the next chapter and hints of a powerful psychic pokémon is also released in the next chapter. Don't forget to Read and Review. draconian216 out.**


	7. Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village

**Hey guys, Draconian216 here. I'll have to say, I'm surprised that there have not been many reviews for Pokémon: Gotta Catch 'em All. To make the fanfic much more enjoyable, I need your reviews and suggestions. Anyways, this yis chapter seven of the fanfic. It took me a little while to write, but here it is. Here are some reviews **

**Dr1zzy:**

**No problem. I'll do my best to update as soon as possible. But don't expect me to update immediately. It ain't easy coming up with these ideas.**

**Amourshipper35:**

**You're welcome. You know hatching an egg is an important part of a trainer's life. I wanted Ash to experience that from early stages. As for Eevee, I got the idea from darkfire1225. Another thing that made me give him Eevee was the fact that I have a Jolteon 9n my Pokémon Black 2 game. The various tools I gave him, Gary and Leaf was to make the journey a bit easy and enjoyable.**

**Joanne Frances Tiano Cajilig:**

**Your welcome and your wish has to come to pass. I present to you chapter 7.**

**I noticed that no one talked about or asked questions about the King Dragons or the Mountains Height phenomenon. Anyways, I introduce Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village in a different manner from the anime. What manner you may ask, you'll have to read and find out. Ash and Misty meet you with Gary and Leaf. One of their pokémon evolves. Which one? Team Rocket makes an appearance in this chapter giving hints to a powerful Psychic pokémon we all know too well. We are also introduced, (kinda, in a way, somehow, you choose the words) to two high ranking members of Team Rocket. Once more, details of the various pokémon belonging to the star trainers in the fanfic.**

**Without further delay, I give you Chapter seven.**

_**Chapter 7: Training, Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village**_

Ash and Misty had been on their journey for three hours. During those hours, they had battled six trainers. Ash battled two of them with Cleffa and came victorious. The first battle Ash had was against a Rattata. Cleffa's usage of **metronome** was able to grant them victory. As the battle began, Ash ordered Cleffa to use **metronome** which turned out to be **Blizzard**. The attack froze the Rattata before he could dodge, and Cleffa broke him out of the ice with **rollout**. Cleffa came back again with **rollout**, scoring two direct hits, but on the fourth roll, Rattata nailed her with **Quick** **attack**. The impact sent Cleffa flying. As Ash saw Rattata coming at Cleffa with a **Bite** attack, he quickly ordered another **metronome**, and it turned out to be **Brick** **break**. Cleffa's hand slammed against Rattata's mouth and she knocked out the two upper front teeth. Rattata was also knocked out.

The second battle was a bit difficult. It was against a Koffing. As the battle began, Koffing quickly used **poison** **gas** to cover the field and poison Cleffa. Ash ordered Cleffa to spin in a circle while using **rollout**. The result was the field becoming clear in an instant. Cleffa used the momentum from the spin to slam into Koffing. Koffing used **sludge** which hit Cleffa and was super-effective. Ash was out of luck. As Cleffa tried a **metronome** and it turned out to be **water** **gun**. The water type move slammed into Koffing. Cleffa's poison kicked in, giving an opening for Koffing to slam into her with **tackle**. As Cleffa got up, Ash ordered her to use sing which brought Koffing down. Cleffa used another **metronome**, and lucky for Ash it was **psychic**, and the move was a critical hit. Cleffa continuously slammed Koffing into the ground until it was knocked out. Cleffa's poison kicked in once more and she fainted.

And that brings us to where they are now, and that is resting.

Ash had released all of his pokémon alongside Misty's. It had been almost an hour since they started resting and Ash decided it was time to try out the new weights. He reached into his bag and brought out some of the weights. He synced it to his Xtransceiver as he placed them on each of his pokémon, except Eevee, Cleffa and Scizor.

"Xtransceiver."

"**Yes Ash?**"

"Calibration menu for training weights."

"**Calibration menu open.**"

The holographic screen shifted to a menu. Ash pointed the screen at Blaze and began calibration. For each of Blaze's arm, four kilograms. His legs another four kilograms. His tail, three kilograms and his neck, two kilograms. For each of Volt's arms and legs, two and a half kilograms. For each of Psyduck's arms and legs, four kilograms. For Butterfree's wings, seven and a half kilograms each. For Beedrill's wings, five and a half kilograms each and two more each for her stingers. For Tyrunt's arms and legs, three kilograms each. As soon as he activated all the weights, they all felt it.

"I want all seven of you to do laps around the field. Stop when you feel you can no longer continue. Understood?"

Different cries of affirmation were heard.

"Eevee and Cleffa, come with me."

The mentioned pokémon immediately followed him.

"Pokédex scan."

"**Scanning**

**Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. Possessing an unstable and unbalanced genetic makeup, it conceals many possible evolutions. It's genes are the ke to solving the mysteries of Pokémon evolution.**

**Type: Normal**

**Abilities: Run away; Hidden ability: Anticipation**

**Moves: Tackle, covet, growl, tail whip, sand attack, baby doll eyes, hyper voice, quick attack and bite.**

**Egg moves: Yawn, Flail, captivate, endure, fake tears, natural gift, tickle. (Note: egg moves except yawn are yet to be unlocked)**"

"Thanks pokédex. Cleffa I want you to start working on zen headbutt."

The fairy type nodded as she turned and walked to where the others where training.

Ash turned towards Eevee. He needed to test out her moves to know where she stood on his team power wise.

"Alright Eevee. I want you to show me your moves. I want to get a feel of how strong you are. So Eevee, how about you show me your **sand** **attack**."

Eevee raised her right forehand and slammed it into the ground in a lifting manner. The result was a cloud of dirt been launched forward. Ash watched the attack execution and made his conclusion. The **sand** **attack** was pretty much refined, indicating that Eevee must have had some level of training at one point in her life. Also, the **sand** **attack** was thick and would be able to cloud an attackers eyes with ease.

"Well done Eevee. Next use **hyper** **voice**."

Eevee turned towards a tree. She stood tall and took in air, before letting out a loud shout. From her mouth, she launched blue sound waves that slammed into the tree and causing it to shake. All of Ash's pokémon, Misty and her pokémon stopped to hold their ears because of the loudness of the attack. As Eevee stopped her attack, they all turned back to their various activities.

"Eevee, that was amazing. You're really strong."

Eevee blushed from the praise as Ash scratched her chest. She wagged her tail, indicating that she liked it.

"Now, use **quick attack** around the site."

Eevee crouched down before shooting off, leaving a trail of white behind her as she shot off around the site at blinding speed. Ash was in awe at her speed. She might even rival Volt in terms of speed, and he was only slightly faster than Beedrill and Butterfree.

"Awesome Eevee. You're really fast."

The Normal type blushed from the praise.

"Alright, let's wrap it up with **bite**."

Once again, Ash was surprised at the speed at which Eevee lunged at the tree in front of them and bit into it. She took a sizeable chunk of wood in her mouth.

Ash was shocked to see the wood in her mouth. She had taken it with ease. Eevee stood talk as she spat the wood out of her mouth. She knew she had done well and Ash knew that too.

"Eevee, that's enough. You've done well. Go and rest a bit."

Eevee barked as she trod over to where Cleffa was training and lied down.

Ash sat down on the ground and began going over his pokémon's strengths and weaknesses. Blaze was definitely his strongest by a mile and he didn't like the gap that was between him and the rest. Blaze had a strong affinity for fire and dragon type moves, executing them with relative ease. He had yet to perfect fire blast and flame burst. Bis dragon type moves were far from perfect and he won't be able to use air cutter until he evolved. He had no advantage over his type disadvantages, although his ground type weakness would be eliminated when he evolved.

Psyduck was the second strongest pokémon he had. Psyduck had a nice move pool though not vast. Over electric types, he bad only one move in his arsenal and getting a direct hit would be tricky since muddy water was not perfect. Psyduck still needed to work on ice chop and his egg moves. Ash knew he had to start resistance training soon as all his pokémon needed it.

Scizor was next on Ash's list. He had only just evolved moments ago, and his scope had been widened. Due to him gaining the steel typing, he can now access a variety of moves and his flying type moves won't be dormant, thanks to the relationship between him and his previous evolution. Scizor was yet to perfect aerial ace, metal claw, iron spear slash and iron defense, but Ash had a feeling they'll be able to get it down.

Next on Ash's list was Butterfree. The dual bug and flying type was also his most accurate member, able to launch attacks on target at a distance, but he still had a long way to go. Defensive wise, Butterfree was quite weak and that was caused him to tie with Volt. Butterfree was still working on perfecting silver wind and wing attack.

Tied with Butterfree for fourth position was Volt. The little electric type further boosted by his shiny Gene is very formidable and a prankster by heart, though he hasn't shown it. Definitely Ash's fastest pokémon thanks to thunderspeed. Though he has still yet to perfect thunderbolt, thunderspeed and sky launch. Defensively, Volt was also weak.

Ash sighed. Most of his pokémon, if not all, have defense issues.

As for Beedrill, Cleffa, Tyrunt and Eevee, he had not had that much one-on-one time with them.

He took a deep breath. Bill was right, he had basically rushed through his journey up until this point. The only pokémon he had truly bonded with was Blaze and that was because he had had him for a year before his journey. This had to change now.

"That's enough," Ash said stopping them. "It's getting dark. Blaze, prepare a fire pit."

The fire type nodded and went to work while Ash brought out cooking utensils. The rest of his pokémon just sat down and watched. Moments later, their dinner was ready. Ash noticed Misty was still out training, so he made sure to save some for her and her pokémon. He served all of his pokémon while he ate two sandwiches.

After he was done eating, he turned on his Xtransceiver and called Gary and Leaf. One amazing feature of the Xtransceiver was that it allowed for multiple-way calls at a time. The maximum been eight. The Xtransceiver rang for some time before Ash saw the faces of Gary and Leaf.

"Hey guys."

"Hey Ash," they both responded.

"Where are you guys now," Ash asked. "I'm heading for Vermillion City."

"We're also on our way to Vermillion City and I think we're on the same route. We haven't crossed the wooden bridge yet. In fact, we're some distance away from it," Leaf responded.

"Yeah. We're together," Gary responded.

"Well aren't you happy," Ash said with a smirk, causing Leaf to blush and Gary to turn away in embarrassment. "Anyways," Ash continued. "Send me your coordinates so I can catch up."

"Okay," they both said as they disconnected the transmission.

Ash's Xtransceiver soon beeped, indicating that he had received a message. He opened it and his Xtransceiver began.

"Received GPS coordinates of Gary Oak and Leaf Green. Approximate distance in a straight line is about Seven hundred meters north of here." As the message ended, the Xtransceiver showed Ash a mapped image of the area.

"Good," Ash said as he recalled all his pokémon. At that moment, Misty walked into the clearing.

"Perfect timing Misty. I might have just left you on your own."

"That better be a joke Ash Ketchum. And just where are you going?"

"Not me. We. And we're going to meet my childhood friends that I've been telling you about. They're about Seven hundred meters from here."

"I'm too tired to walk and it's already dark out."

"I think I have the solution to that," Ash said as he dug into his bag and brought out two cubes. He tossed one to Misty and she caught it, but with a dumbfounded look on her face.

"What's this?"

"Remember how your bicycle was blasted into the lake when we first met. Consider that a replacement of the one I destroyed."

"I don't know what to say, thank you Ash."

"No problem Misty."

"How do I open it?" she asked.

Ash gave a deadpan look as he fell down comically.

"So yo don't know how to open one, but you had it."

"Well excuse me, but I didn't open it when it was bought and I never planned on someone destroying my bike!" Misty yelled.

Ash snickered. "Touché."

"So how do I open it?"

"Easy. Just press the center and it will unfold on its own," Ash said as he pushed the center and his bike unfolded.

"Okay, thanks," Misty said as she unfolded her bike.(Insert description of both bikes).

They both got on their bikes and began following the trail drawn to them by the Xtransceiver. They rode for about half an hour, before they reached Leaf and Gary's clearing.

As Ash stepped into the clearing, he was immediately tackled by two blurs. As he looked up, he noticed them to be both species of the Nidoran family. An Onix roared in his face as he tried to get up. Soon enough, Ash was surrounded by pokémon on all sides.

"Stand down you guys," a voice said. The pokémon lowered their guard as two humans came from behind them.

"Ash!" one of them exclaimed.

"Leaf," Ash said as he hugged the person, now recognized as Leaf.

"Well if it isn't Ashy-boy. Long time no see."

"What's up Gare-bear," Ash said as he shook the hand of the other kid now recognized as Gary (a.k.a Gare-bear).

As he and Gary shook, Ash started hearing voices behind him. He turned around and discovered that she was talking with Misty.

"Who's that?" Gary asked.

"That's Misty. She's an aspiring Water Master and is currently traveling with me."

"Oh. Hi, am Gary Oak."

"Hi. Misty Waterflower," Misty said as she held out a hand to Gary who shook it.

"So you're an aspiring Water Master. I'm a Field Researcher for Professor Oak, and perhaps Gary Oak. I'm also aiming to become a Pokémon Ranger."

As she said this, both Ash and Gary laughed. They laughed not because she couldn't do it, but because it was hard to imagine Leaf researching pokémon and giving feedback to Gary at this age. They would probably get into a fight and she will most likely knock him out.

"So which one's whose?" Ash asked.

"Let me start off first," Gary said as he stepped forward.

"Now, now Gary. We all know it's ladies first."

"Fine," Gary said with a sigh of defeat.

"To start things off. Here's Saur, and he's pretty much close to evolving."

The proud Ivysaur growled deeply, causing Leaf to chuckle.

"Hey Saur, remember me?" Ash asked the grass type.

"_Saur, saur, ivysaur,_" the grass type said as he held a vine out for Ash to shake. Ash returned the gesture, causing the grass type to make a low grumbling noise.

"That's the Skitty that hatched from the egg Nurse Joy gave me."

Ash smiled at the Skitty who swayed it's tail back and forth.

"That's Spearow. Next is Paras who I caught at Mt. Moon, alongside Clefairy, Sandshrew and Onix."

Ash waved to all of them and they returned the gesture in their own way.

"I caught Pinsir, Pineco and Raticate in Viridian forest. As for the two Nidoran, I caught them just outside of Cerulean City."

"Nice team you've put together Leaf. Already reached the twelve pokémon limit," Ash said with a laugh.

"Yeah. I've also got a Slugma and King's Species Houndour at home."

"That means the rest are all Gary's."

"Yep. Say hi. I'm sure Blast still remembers you," Gary said, gesturing to his Wartortle.

As Gary said this, a white light emanated from one of Ash's pokéball and materialized into Blaze. As soon as the fire type came out, it locked eyes with Blast. Blaze launched a flamethrower into the sky. Blast responded by launching scald into the sky. Realizing that their plan to one-up each other failed, both pokémon butted heads.

"Right on cue," Leaf muttered while shaking her head.

"Some things just never get old." This comment was from Gary.

"Back off everyone. Those two are about to duke it out, and they mean business."

The others cleared the way for the two pokémon, before a voice was heard. "_Saur, saur ivy._"

Ash laughed at what he heard.

"What did he say Ash?" Gary asked.

"He said that he wanted to join the fray."

Saur ran to where the fight was about to take place. He brought out two vines from his bud and took on a fighting stance. Blast and Blaze also did the same. Time passed before they all dashed at each other.

"So who's next?" Ash said as he drew everybody's attention from the battling starters to his self.

"Alright. Here's the Eevee that was given to me by Nurse Joy. We have Geodude who I caught in Pewter. My King's Species Growlithe that was also a surprising catch just before I entered Mt. Moon. Next is Krabby who I caught in Cerulean."

"Here's Mach, my shiny Pidgeotto. I caught her in Viridian forest. Mareep, and Nidorino I caught also in Pewter. I caught Horsea in Cerulean and Abra just outside Mt. Moon."

"All are nice catches. Guess it's my turn."

"Of course it is. You don't expect us to show ours and don't expect you to show yours."

"Fine," Ash said as he released eight pokémon from their balls. The lights condensed and materialized into the eight pokémon.

"These are my pokémon. Meet Psyduck who I caught in Viridian forest. A shiny Elekid who hatched from the egg Nurse Joy gave me. Scizor, who I caught as a Scyther in Viridian to. Butterfree and Beedrill who I caught in their pre-evolved forms in Viridian forest. A King's Species Tyrunt who I got as a fossil in Pewter City, and finally Eevee who I got from Bill's lighthouse."

"Wait, you mean to say that's the same Eevee that bit me at Bill's?"

"What? Eevee bit you."

"Yeah. And it was a nasty bite also."

"What did you do?" Misty asked.

"I just said hi and bent down to scrub her fur."

"And she bit you? Nice job," Ash said to a laughing Eevee.

"To break this all up I'm also guessing Bill told you to enjoy your journey," Leaf said.

"Yeah. And he's right. It's only been a few days and we both have two badges and this number of pokémon. I know I'm not the only one who hasn't spent time with his pokémon and gotten to know them. The Indigo League is in a year and eleven months, so there's no need to hurry."

"Yeah. You're right," Leaf and Gary admitted.

"Anyways," Ash started. "Serena's back in Kanto."

"Really?" Leaf asked, almost like a squeal and Ash nodded.

"Yay," Gary cheered. "Ashy-boy's girlfriend is back."

"She's not my girlfriend," Ash protested. "And besides, I'm too young for that kinda stuff."

"She may not be, but you definitely have a crush on her. I'm psychic y'know."

"Is that so? Then tell us you don't have a crush on Leaf."

As he said this, the mentioned girl blushed while Gary stuttered with his answer. "It's ...not that,...I don't. Urgh, damn you people," Gary said as he turned away with a blush on his face.

At this moment there was a flash of light. All eyes turned towards the direction of the battling starters. The light was emanating from Ivysaur.

"It's happening," Leaf squealed.

Ivysaur was covered in blinding light as he grew bigger. The bud on his back blossomed fully. As the light died down, he was now a Venusaur. Saur bellowed loudly, shaking the entire area.

"Yay Saur. You evolved," Leaf said as she ran into the vines of the grass type who embraced her. He was now taller than her, as he was now the height of an average Venusaur.

Blaze and Blast looked at the newly evolved grass type. He had reached his final form before either of them and they wanted to test his strength upon evolution. Saur looked at them and made the Venusaur equivalent of a smirk. Blaze growled and challenged him to a duel, with Blast joining in. At first they had only had a fist fight, but now they were going to use moves.

They all turned their eyes away from the battling starters.

"Congrats Leaf," they all sides to their fellow trainer.

"I'm going to train," Gary said as he recalled all his pokémon, save Blast.

"I'm coming too," Ash said as he too recalled the rest apart from Blaze.

"Guess it's you and me," Leaf said to Misty.

**With Ash and Gary**

"Alright," Gary started. "Out of the Pallet trio, we both are the battlers, and might I suggest we pick our elites."

Elites were the six most powerful pokémon a trainer had in his arsenal. They were composed of his most Experienced pokémon, most likely starter, his most powerful attacker, his most defensive pokémon capable of tanking attacks. His most accurate pokémon. His fastest pokémon in terms of raw speed, and an all-rounder, one who is well versed in each of those areas and should be able to cover for any missing part. Elites were the ones Champions and Elite fours used when they battled each other. During Gym leader Conferences, the gym leaders battled themselves using their elites.

"Yeah, you're right," Ash responded as he and Gary released their pokémon. Gary moved to a separate location from Ash's to choose his Elites.

"Hey guys," Ash said to them. "Today I'm gonna pick my Elite team."

Seeing the confused looks on their faces, Ash explained to them what the Elites were.

"Understood?" He asked as he finished his explanation.

"_Yeah, but what about the rest of us?_" Cleffa asked.

"Don't worry, you guys would still be with me to battle and train, and fight and grow. Elites change with time and depending on your performance, you would be promoted to the Elite team. And also, there would be lesser elites. But one elite that would never change is Blaze. Next up is the most powerful in terms of raw power, which is Psyduck."

The water type shot a water gun into the sky and quacked loudly.

"Next up is Scizor for the most defensive pokémon."

The calm bug/steel dual type just nodded his head as he went over to join Psyduck.

"For the fastest pokémon, we have Volt and it's all thanks to Thunderspeed."

The little Electric type's antennae sparked with electricity as he shot a thundershock into the sky and joined the rest.

"Title of most accurate goes to Butterfree."

The dual bug/flying type did loops in the air, before resting on Ash's head.

"And finally, the all-rounder goes to Tyrunt."

The Royal Heir Pokémon jumped up and down before bounding over to Ash.

"And that's all. You're my new elites. All done over here Gary."

"Me too," Gary said as he walked over to Ash. "So, who are your elites?"

"For experience, Blaze. For power, Psyduck. For defense, Scizor. For speed, Volt. For accuracy, Butterfree. And for all-roundness, Tyrunt. What about you?" Ash asked.

"Well most Experienced is definitely Blast. For power, Nidorino. For defense, Geodude. For speed, Pidgeotto. For accuracy, Abra. Finally, all-roundness, Eevee. Growlithe is approaching when I would evolve him. Once he reaches there, all that's left is to use a fire stone. I want to start working on them individually."

"Yeah. Me too. They have good movesets, but the gap in power is huge. Blaze is definitely the strongest by a milestone due to the fact that I worked with him for a year with very limited resources. But now I'm on the road with all my resources. All that's left is to use them."

"Yeah."

"Wait. I have an idea. How about we have our elites spar with the other members. That should leave us with time to work on the weakest members of our teams."

"Nice one Ash," Gary said as he and Ash turned to address them. After giving out the instructions, Gary took Mareep with him while Ash took Eevee and they began trekking away from the training pokémon.

Few minutes into their walk, they started hearing voices.

"I don't think there's anything here," a voice said.

"What was that?" Gary asked.

"I don't know," Ash responded.

"Come on man. The boss sent us here, so there must be something," another voice said.

"Why do we need Ditto anyways? Damn pokémon's useless," the first voice said.

"Executive Proton said it's for the 'New Project'," the second voice said.

"Urgh. Damn Team Rocket Projects," the first voice said.

Ash and Gary gasped. Team Rocket was here. They automatically brought down their voices and kept on listening further.

"Look. There's Ditto around here. That's about sixty now," the second voice said.

Ash and Gary couldn't keep calm anymore. Their bloods boiled and they were filled with a rush of anger.

"I don't think so," they both said as they jumped out of where they were hiding.

"Who are you?" one Grunt asked.

"Doesn't matter. Release the Ditto's or we'll make you."

"You've got guts kids. Tell us your names and we might just consider making you a part of Team Rocket," one Grunt said.

"Names don't matter and we're not considering becoming part of Team Rocket," Ash said with glowing blue eyes.

As the Grunts saw this, they were shocked.

"That's the kid from the Mt. Moon incident. Looks like this is our lucky day. Killing you will get us a reward. Go Ekans," the first Grunt said.

"You too Nidorino," the other Grunt said.

"Eevee get ready."

"You too Mareep. Ash I'll take Ekans."

"No problem Gary. Eevee use **growl**."

The Normal type growled deeply, lowering Nidorino's attack stat.

"That won't help you. Nidorino, **tackle** that puny pokémon."

Nidorino ran at Eevee with full force. Ash ordered her to dodge the attack. He knew that if Eevee came in contact with Nidorino, she would be poisoned if he had the Poison point ability.

"Eevee use **yawn**."

"Dodge it and use **poison** **jab**."

Nidorino easily evaded the yawn, before slamming Eevee with **poison jab**. Eevee was thrown back by the brunt of the attack. As she got up, she attained a purple glow. She was poisoned.

Ash analysed Nidorino's horn. It was drenched with poison. Poison jab had a thirty percent chance of poisoning the target and Eevee was poisoned in one shot. He came to his conclusion that Nidorino had **poison** **point** as an ability.

"Use **horn** **attack**."

"Dodge."

Eevee tried to dodge but she was not fast enough. The attack slammed into her left leg and she was sent skidding on the ground.

"Use **horn** **attack** and follow up with **double** **kick**. Knock her out," the Grunt ordered.

Before Nidorino could reach Eevee, Ash had returned her.

"Oh. Is little baby giving up?" The Grunt asked with a smirk. " Looks like you don't have any other pokémon on you."

"No I don't," Ash said with gritted teeth. He looked towards Gary and saw that Mareep was also down. "You aren't going to attack kids, are you?"

"Ha. If you think that, then you definitely don't know who you are dealing with. Nidorino, **poison** **jab**."

Nidorino's horn became drenched with poison as he ran at Ash. Ash just stood there with arms crossed.

"**Flamethrower**," were the words that escaped Ash's mouth.

As soon as he said it, a stream of flames slammed into Nidorino and launched him towards the Grunt.

"How?" the Grunt asked as Nidorino struggled to his feet. He was burned at his horn and his face.

Ash pointed over to some bushes nearby, and Blaze and Blast came out of them. Blaze took on a fighting stance in front of Ash, while Blast ran to aid Gary.

"So you had a secret weapon on you?" the Grunt asked rhetorically.

Ash didn't answer but instead attained a smirk. He had alerted Blaze and Blast at camp using his aura. He wasn't seriously going to face Team Rocket using untrained pokémon. He mentally snickered. "Now I'm serious."

The Grunt immediately became angry. "Nidorino **double** **team** and **horn** **attack**."

Nidorino almost immediately multiplied itself and all of them began charging Blaze with the horn move. Ash's eyes glowed blue as he discerned the real one from the rest.

"**Dragon pulse **on that one," Ash ordered shortly.

Blaze formed the draconic sphere in his mouth and launched it at the Nidorino Ash pointed at. The attack hit Nidorino and it was sent flying. The **double** **team** copies also dispersed.

"How did you know which one was original?" the Grunt asked.

"Easy. **Double** **team** created copies of the user. Those copies were more like illusions than actual clones. They could perform the moves of the pokémon, but they packed the living aura of pokémon. It was just a matter of noticing which one was actually a pokémon."

Ash lied. He knew that it was only true sensing that one could ascertain the real one.

"Nidorino get back up and use **sludge** **bomb**."

Nidorino slowly got up and fired the poison blob at Blaze.

"Deflect it with **metal claw **and use **Triple Pulse**."

Blaze's hands attained a metallic sheen. He swiped the incoming blob and changed its direction of motion. After deflecting the attack, Blaze charged **dragon pulse **in his mouth before launching it at Nidorino. The attack hit head on and Nidorino was sent flying from the super-effective attack. Before Nidorino could recover, another sphere hit him, and then the last one. He was knocked out.

"Grr...," the Grunt said as he returned Nidorino. "You'll pay. Onix destroy them."

The familiar stone behemoth was unleashed from its pokéball. As it came out, it let loose and ear-splitting screech. Ash looked at Gary and saw him facing a Victreebell with Blast. Ash released Eevee and gave her an antidote to heal her poison before speaking.

"Rest up girl and watch how we battle."

Eevee looked at Blaze who turned back to her and gave her a thumbs up, before facing the Rock Snake Pokémon.

"Blaze," Ash said, getting the fire type's attention. He slowly turned his cap backwards. "Go wild."

Blaze's tail flame increased drastically as he heard Ash's words.

"Onix **rock smash**."

"Meet it head-on with **aerial ace**."

Onix's tail attained a red glow as he swung it at Blaze. Blaze shot off at a fast pace as his feet glowed white. His feet and Onix's tail collided, with both attacks cancelling each other.

"**Rock tomb**."

"**Dragon pulse**."

Onix slammed his tail on the ground as rocks were sent flying at Blaze. Blaze evaded each rock before shooting a **dragon** **pulse** at Onix. The super-effective dragon type move slammed into Onix's head and caused it to roar in pain.

"Now **metal** **claw**."

Blaze's hands attained a metallic sheen as he ran at Onix.

"**Dragon** **breath**."

"**Dragon** **pulse**."

Blaze cancelled **metal claw **to meet **dragon** **breath** with **dragon** **pulse**. Both attacks cancelled each other. Blaze quickly used **metal claw **to slash into Onix's sides causing the rock type to roar in pain.

"Onix **earthquake**!" the Grunt shouted.

The ground type move hit Blaze and brought him to the ground.

"**Dig**."

"Blaze **flamethrower** down the hole."

Onix tunneled into the ground but Blaze followed and shot a flamethrower into the hole. Some seconds later, Onix resurfaced, screaming in pain.

"Blaze, **dragon rage**."

"**Dragon breath**."

"**Dragon pulse**."

**Dragon** **rage** and **dragon breath **cancelled each other out, but Onix couldn't account for the **dragon** **pulse** that slammed into his horn, breaking it.

"**Dragon pulse**."

This time, instead of forming it in his mouth, Blaze formed the sphere between his mouth before fuelling it with flames and launching it at Onix. The attack nailed Onix in the face and sent him down.

"**Dragon rush** into **metal claw**."

Just as Onix was slowly getting up, Blaze crouched down and was soon covered in draconic energy. He ran at Onix before jumping and nailing him in the jaw with **dragon** **rush**. Before Onix could fall over, Blaze gave him an uppercut him with **metal claw**. Onix was knocked out. Blast had also knocked out Victreebell with **skull bash**.

"Damn you kid. Abra com out," the Grunt said as he released an Abra and returned Onix. As the other Grunt came running towards him with the jar of Ditto, Blaze shot an **ember** at his hands, burning it and causing him to drop it. Blaze launched a **flamethrower**, but before it could reach them, they had teleported away with Abra.

"Nice job Gary."

"You too Ash."

Ash looked at Blaze, his scales were getting redder and he was getting much more aggressive. Few more battles and he'll evolve. Even Blast was close to evolution, more so than Blaze.

Ash looked down at Eevee who was pulling at his trousers. He bent down to her level and patted her on the head.

Eevee smiled at him before bounding over to Blaze who was trying to catch his breath. Blaze smiled at her before scratching her fur. Ash watched the two of them interact and had the feeling that they would both be awesome friends.

"So Ash. What do you think they wanted with these Ditto."

"I don't know, but we can't just leave them here. Anything related to Team Rocket isn't bound to be good, and besides, Team Rocket might come back for them."

"How about we catch them and send them to Professor Oak."

"Yeah, but do you have any spare pokéballs. I left mine in my bag."

"Same here. Let's head back then."

**At an Unknown Location**

"Report," a deep yet calm voice said.

"Sir. We found the Ditto but we were stopped by two other trainers. Their names were Ash and..."

"Gary," another voice said. "His name was Gary."

"I hope you don't mean the same Ash that thwarted our Mt. Moon plans," the man whose face was hidden in the shadows said.

"Yes sir. The same Ash."

"Hmm," the voice said and typed on a computer. "Ash Satoshi Ketchum. Son of Red Ketchum. Has a Charmeleon, Scizor, a Shiny Elekid, King's Species Tyrunt, a Cleffa, Eevee, Beedrill, Butterfree and Psyduck. Two badges." The figure paused and typed further on the computer. "Which of these pictures is the boy?" He asked.

After studying them, one of the Grunts spoke up, " This one."

"Gary Oak. Son of Champion Blue. Has a Wartortle, Eevee, Geodude, King's Species Growlithe, Krabby, Shiny Pidgeotto, Mareep, Nidorino, Horsea, and an Abra. Two badges. Not bad for their age. They may have some use to us."

The figure turned his attention to the two Grunts. "As for you two. You know what happens when you fail missions more than twice."

"Commander Proton, please," they both said.

The figure now known as Proton pressed a button on his desk and spoke. "Torturess."

"Yes Proton," a female voice said from the other side.

"I'm sending two failures your way. Give them the standard forty."

"As you wish sir," and the line got disconnected.

"Now go!" Proton said with a stern but quiet voice. As the Grunts left the room, he laughed to his self.

"Ash Ketchum, for what's good for you, you better accept my proposal," he said as he kept on laughing.

**With Ash and Gary**

They were back at the camp with their pokémon and had already sent all the Ditto to Professor Oak.

"Gary, how about we check on the New Pokémon species update."

"Yeah. I saw it earlier today."

Ash opened his Xtransceiver and opened the Pokémon website. The first video that came up was the video concerning the new species. Ash played it. The Xtransceiver started.

The video began to play. On the screen were the regional Professors. Oak, Elm, Birch, Rowan, Juniper, Ivy, Sycamore, Kuikui and three pokémon-like creatures.

"'** So what is the name of this species of pokémon?' 'After long hours of discussion,' Professor Rowan started. 'We agreed on calling it Meltan.' 'And what typing is Meltan?' 'Well,' Professor Oak started. 'After running some tests and looking at it physically. Its physiology is similar to that of liquid metal and has a nut on his head. We decided to classify it as a member of the Steel type.' 'And what may I ask is the rarity of this pokémon?' This it was Sycamore that spoke up. 'We're still running some tests on this pokémon, trying to figure out what rarity we should place it into. For starters, it's definitely not common. It may be uncommon, rare, mythical, pseudo-legendary or even legendary.' 'I highly doubt that it's legendary,' a new voice said. Everyone turned to see Pokémon Master Red. 'Why is that?' Professor Elm asked. 'Because legendary pokémon won't let a fellow legendary pokémon be under human care like this and in front of the whole world without acting up in any manner.' 'And?' Professor Birch asked. 'It is probably mythical or pseudo-legendary, but we won't know until it evolves. Pseudo-legendaries have three stages of evolution. It may be mythical like Zeraora. Anyways, I don't think it is an uncommon pokémon. That means we must research and study the Alola region down to the core. There may be something we needs.'**

**Red picked up one of the three Meltan and cradled it.**

**'If you accept, I'll be taking Meltan here with me to my island in order to see how he reacts with other pokémon and observe him. It would be most appropriate for Professor Oak and Sycamore to return to their respective regions. The rest Professors should stay in Alola to research further on Meltan.**'"

"Well I guess that's that," Ash said as he exited the video.

"Yeah. How about we go to bed, it's almost nine o'clock."

"Okay guys, that's enough. Come here," Gary said to all their pokémon and Leaf's Venusaur.

All the pokémon stopped what they were doing and went to gather around Ash and Gary's tent.

"So guys. How was the battle between you three," Ash said, his attention directed towards Saur, Blast and Blaze.

As he said this, Blaze turned to the side with a puff of smoke. Saur laughed loudly as Blast lowered his head.

"Guess we know the answer," Gary said as both he and Ash laughed.

"Don't worry Blaze, you'll get him the next time."

"You too Blast."

"Anyways, from now on, training is going to be intense. We're also going to be doing individual training on all of you," Ash said to them.

"Yeah. Better prepare yourself."

"Hey guys, we're back."

"And where have you guys been," Ash asked.

"I was just out on a casual stroll with Misty," Leaf responded.

"For some reason I don't believe you. But I'm too tired to bother myself," Gary said with a yawn.

"Yeah. It's time for me to hit the hay," Ash said as he crawled into his sleeping bag."Goodnight everybody."

"Goodnight," they all called out as they went inside their sleeping bags. The pokémon also slept close to their Trainer's tent. And just like that, they were all out.

**Sometime later, in the dead of the night.**

A growl. Another growl, louder than the first. And another one far louder than the rest. Ash jolted upwards inside his sleeping bag. He looked outside his tent to see that all their pokémon were awake and we're on edge. He turned to his starter.

"What's the matter Blaze?"

"_Wild pokémon,_" his starter simply responded.

"What?! How many of them are there?"

"I don't know, but we're surrounded on all four sides."

Ash closed his eyes and opened them after some seconds. They were now glowing blue showing aura sight. He was getting the readings of every creature around the area. The hostile pokémon were about fifty in total.

"Alright, wake the others."

Soon enough, the others were awake and fully aware of the situation.

"You guys ready?" Ash asked.

"Yep," Gary responded.

The wild pokémon soon came out of the bushes and every single one of them was ready to duel. Ash analysed them carefully, there were Raticate, Ekans, the Nidoran family, Oddish, Bellsprout and Weepinbell, Farfetch'd and one Bulbasaur.

'_A Bulbasaur_,' Ash thought. '_Why is it out here_?'

"_Bulba, bulbasaur, saur, saur, BULBA!_" the Bulbasaur said.

'_That can't be right_,' Ash thought. '_Did it just say we have come to steal from them?_'

"Bulbasaur you're mistaken. We have not come to steal from you."

"_Bul, basaur?_" the Bulbasaur asked.

"Yes it's true," Ash responded.

"_Bulba, bulba, bulbasaur, bulbasaur!_" The Bulbasaur said before using vine whip to raise up Ash's belt, revealing his pokéballs.

"You've got the wrong idea Bulbasaur. I don't mistreat pokémon. None of us do. Isn't that right guys?" Ash asked the pokémon who responded in Ash's favour.

Bulbasaur was a bit startled by the various answer the pokémon gave, but soon, his resolved hardened. He smiled.

"_Bulba, saur, bulba. SAUR!_"

"This is it guys," Ash said as the wild pokémon began their attack. "Don't seriously damage any of them. Use weak moves."

"You got it. Blast water gun. Eevee shadow ball. Geodude rollout. The rest of you defend."

"Saur, vine whip. Skitty double slap. Onix use rock throw. The rest on the defensive."

"Staryu water gun. Poliwag and Poliwag hypnosis. Gyarados bite. The rest of you stay with me."

"Blaze ember. Volt thundershock. Butterfree stun spore. The rest of you protect the campsite.

Each attack was exhibited by each pokémon in great succession. Wild pokémon were sent flying by the multiple attacks they executed. All were soon knocked out with the exception of Bulbasaur.

"_Bulba_," Bulbasaur said to his fallen comrades.

"Guess you have to fight now," Ash said to him. "Who wants to take him. How about Misty take him down."

"Me?" the girl asked in shock.

"Yeah. Your team needs the most work out of us all," Gary said.

"Thanks. Alright Staryu let's do this."

Bulbasaur smirked. They didn't know who they were dealing with. Bulbasaur shaked his body and caused purple powder to fall from it. He then used his vines to fan the poison powder towards Staryu.

"Whoa. Nice tactic," Ash said.

"Staryu protect."

The green barrier Staryu erected was more than enough for the poison powder.

Bulbasaur grinned again. He shook his body once more and sent sharp leaves at Staryu. He was using razor leaf.

"Counter with swift."

Swift and razor leaf cancelled each other out in an explosion of smoke.

"Rapid spin to clear the smoke "

Staryu used rapid spin to clear the smoke, before slamming into Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur easily recovered from the attack and used poison powder on Staryu. Staryu was poisoned Immediately as the infamous purple glow covered its body.

"Staryu spin with water gun."

Staryu spun itself as it used water gun, but Bulbasaur was able to counter it by binding four vines together and using it to pierce water gun.

"Bulbasaur!" bellowed the grass type as it's vines began to glow green.

"Is that a power whip?" Ash asked.

"Misty don't let that hit Staryu!" Leaf exclaimed.

"Staryu use psywave."

Staryu launched the wave of psychic energy at Bulbasaur. As Bulbasaur saw 4he wave of psychic energy, he blocked it with power whip before slamming the powerful grass type move into Staryu. Staryu was knocked into the ground and before it could recover, it was hit by petal dance.

"That is one strong Bulbasaur," Leaf commented. Ash and Gary thought so too. This Bulbasaur had probably received training in the past, but why would a trainer release such a potentially strong pokémon was the question.

Staryu was on it's last legs and Misty knew it. "Staryu use rapid spin and swift."

The water type began to spin rapidly before unleashing the barrage of spinning stars. The rapid spin only made them spin faster and made their landing unpredictable. Bulbasaur immediately used it's vines to defend itsrlf, but some stars made their mark.

Bulbasaur gave a cry of pain, but it soon turned into a war cry as Bulbasaur spun it's vines and summoned a tornado of leaves. It was using leaf storm. The powerful slammed into Staryu and knocked it out almost immediately. The storm didn't stop there, but continued towards the others. Blaze stood in front of Ash and used protect to block the attack.

Blast also did the same thing for Gary and his pokémon while Venusaur countered it with petal dance.

"Bulbasaur!" came a distant voice.

Bulbasaur stopped it's attack and turned towards the direction of the voice. Blaze and the others also stopped and looked in the direction of the voice.

"Bulbasaur. How many times have I told you not to attack trainers?" a young girl that looked to be about seventeen asked as she came into the clearing.

"Excuse me," Ash said, gaining her attention.

"Oh, hi. I apologise for whatever nuisance Bulbasaur may have caused," she said with a bow.

"Are you perhaps Bulbasur's trainers?" Gary asked.

"No, I'm not a trainer but I am responsible for Bulbasaur," she admitted slightly.

"Excuse me, but why did Bulbasaur attack us?" Leaf asked.

"I'm sorry, he's always like this whenever trainers are near the Hidden Village. I'll explain better if you all come with me to the Hidden Village so I can look at your Staryu."

"Oh, um thanks," Ash said to her.

The journey to the Hidden Village was pretty short. Soon they reached the house where Melanie was staying. They had introduced themselves properly on the road.

"Come in," Melanie said as she opened the door to a wooden house.

"Thanks," they all said.

"So what is this Hidden Village?" Ash asked.

"Well it's a sanctuary for pokémon that have been abandoned by their trainers. I don't know if you know about it, but some trainers sometimes abandon pokémon that they feel do not leave up to their potential. Bulbasaur and all of the pokémon here have all been abandoned by their trainers in one way or the other."

As she said this Bulbasaur growled deeply.

"Bulbasaur here, holds a sort of grudge all humans for abandoning pokémon like that. He seems to have won over the hearts of the stronger pokémon in the village to hating humans. I'm the only one who they trust to go near them, and although I may be able to calm Bulbasaur down, the moment he spots a human near the Village when my back is turned, he dashes off to confront them. That's the sad story of the pokémon in this Village."

"That's awful," Leaf said. "How would someone abandon pokémon just like that!"

"Yeah," Ash said with deep blue eyes. "That kind of thing just pisses me off." This was not the first time Ash had been hearing of cases of abandoned pokémon. When he was still nine, he and Gary both witnessed Daisy Oak, Gary's elder sister rescue a Charmander that had been abandoned by its trainer. According to Daisy, the Charmander's flame had almost gone out when it was rescued. The Charmander was sent to Liza of the Charicific Valley on request from Professor Oak. The last time Ash heard of the Charmander, it was now a Charizard and was currently one of the strongest amongst those his age. Cases of trainers abandoning pokémon just made Ash fly off the handle. He was not the only one who felt that way.

Gary was also on edge. His eyes were an ethereal pink, and he was levitating. Leaf touched his arm to help him calm down while Blaze nudged Ash. As Ash saw the fire type, he calmed down.

"I apologise once again," Melanie said to them.

"It's not your fault Melanie," Leaf told her. "It's the fault of those damn trainers."

"I don't blame Bulbasaur for attacking us." All eyes were now on Ash. "He had a reason for attacking us that justifies him, but I promise to help him get over it and stop thinking that all humans are bad."

"Thank you Ash," Melanie said. "I've been trying to do that for a long time but I've failed miserably."

"No problem Melanie. If anyone can get through to Bulbasaur, it's Ash," Gary said.

"You're welcome to sleep here in the Village. This should make up for Bulbasaur's trouble," Melanie said as she cast a glare towards Bulbasaur, shutting him up before he could say a word.

"Thanks Melanie," Misty said to them.

Throughout the remainder of the night, Melanie showed them to guest rooms where they could sleep. Ash and the gang slept peacefully on soft beds that night, but there was someone who was not happy with them been there. It was Bulbasaur.

**The Next Morning**

Ash and the gang woke up a little after nine o'clock. They bathed and got dressed and ready to face the entire world.

"Ok guys come on out," Ash said as he threw his pokéballs I to the air, releasing all his pokémon. They all came out of their balls with friendly greetings.

"Okay guys, we're going to get in some serious training today. So who's ready?" Ash asked, and all of them cheered. Ash smiled warmly, his pokémon were all ready to train.

Gary was busy training by the lake. Leaf and Misty were training together.

"Blaze, I want you to take Eevee with you. You're both going to be working on iron tail. Blaze, it is simply gathering steel energy in your tail to make it stronger. Then teach it to Eevee."

"_Got it_," Blaze said as he walked away with Eevee.

"Psyduck, work on perfecting water pulse."

The Duck Pokémon quacked and he was gone.

"Volt, work on perfecting thunderbolt."

The little electric type revved his hands and ran off.

"Beedrill work on sludge bomb. Butterfree work on wing attack. Tyrunt, you're working on earthquake. Cleffa, you're working on Zen Headbutt. Scizor you're working on iron spear slash. I'll be over to check on you guys in a minute."

After some minutes of letting them train, Ash went to check on Blaze and Eevee.

"How's iron tail coming?" he asked.

Blaze made a deep grunting sound as his tail took on a metallic sheen. He turned towards a rock and slammed his tail into it, shattering half of it.

"That was nice. It has the raw power but isn't refined enough. Eevee?"

Eevee nodded as she concentrated her energy to her tail. The result was not what Ash expected, but she was off to a good start. Only the tip to halfway the length of her tail took on metallic sheens, the rest were normal fur.

"Blaze, we're working on that," Ash said to the fire type who nodded and began giving Eevee instructions.

Ash walked over to where Psyduck was training. "How's water pulse coming?"

Psyduck brought both of his hands together as he condensed the moisture in the air, to form a sphere of unstable water. He held the sphere for a time until it was the size of his head. He unleashed the sphere of water on the ground, and it burst into a small wave. Psyduck turned towards Ash for feedback.

"It was okay. There's definitely an improvement, but not enough power and not enough water in the sphere. Keep working on it."

Next was Volt. As Ash reached were he was, he saw Volt unleash a slightly larger thunderbolt than the one he used in the gym battle.

"Still needs more improvement and aim. As for power you've got it," Ash said as he held out a hand for Volt to fist bump. Volt folded and sent a small jolt of electricity at Ash through the fist bump.

Ash recovered from the electric shock to see Volt laughing at him. He smiled deeply. He had gone through all their moves that needed the most work and had brought all of them together for group training.

"All with the exception of Eevee, Cleffa and Tyrunt are going to skip the sparring matches for the now."

Ash felt a familiar presence near his range. It was Bulbasaur.

"I know you're there. You can come out."

The grass type starter slowly came out of the rock he was hiding behind and glared at Ash.

"_Bulba, bulbasaur_," it said.

"Why would I leave, I like it here."

"_Bulba, saur, saur!_"

"Hmph, no way I'm living. Not until you change that attitude towards humans in general."

"Bulba, bulba, bulbasaur."

"Not all humans are bad Bulbasaur. You can't judge one human because you were abandoned by your previous trainer."

"_Bulba, saur!_"

"You can ask my pokémon. I'm not evil. I admit there are a lot of bad guys in the world, but I'm not one of them."

"_Bul-ba, bulbasaur_."

"Alright, let's make a deal. If you win me in a pokémon battle then I'll leave. But if I win, you give me a chance to help you get over your fear of humans. Deal?" Ash said as he extended his hand.

"_Bulba_," Bulbasaur said as he shook it with a vine.

Ash got up and walked back to his pokémon. "Butterfree, how would you like to battle him?" Ash asked.

"_Why. I would love to_."

Ash knew Butterfree had always loved to battle like Blaze, but he'd never had a chance. Now was his time and he was gonna make Ash proud.

"You ready Bulbasaur?" Ash called to the grass type who responded by slamming his vines into the ground.

"Butterfree you ready?" The dual bug/flying type flew in front of Ash as he squared off against Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur smirked as he sent his vines at Butterfree.

"Butterfree dodge and use bug bite."

**Cliffhanger! That's the end of Chapter seven, I believe this contains the most words I've written in any chapter. Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village have been introduced. Unlike the anime, Ash would have to work hard to win Bulbasaur's trust and eventually catch him( Yep, that was a spoiler). How would the battle between Butterfree and Bulbasaur play out? Who wins and why? Proton, Commander of Team Rocket's Grunt Force. Torturess, Hmm, I'm still conflicted about what roll to give her. Send me your thoughts in your reviews. But for now, she would be the one dishing out punishments to the various Team Rocket grunts. Ash's Eevee. What Eeveelutions would she evolve to? Spoiler alert: She won't evolve into any of the Kanto Eeveelutions, or Espeon (damn eeveelutions too common in most fics). Send me your thoughts about the matter. Hope you all liked the Elite theory I showed in this chapter. Send me your feedbacks too. As for Damian's Charmander, since Ash got a Charmander as a starter, I had to get creative ad look for a way to tell his story. Sorry, but I got tired of using a bold to represent pokémon attacks, so I stopped it. Sorry to anyone it may have offended.**

**Thank you all for reading. Looking forward to your Reviews. I remain Draconian216**

**Till next time. Chapter 8: Attack of the Squirtle Squad**


	8. Chapter 8: Attack of the Squirtle Squad

**Hey guys! I'm back. I apologise for the lateness in the update, but at last, Chapter eight is out. It took me a while to write, but here it is. Before that, some reviews.**

**Omni-Creator Kami of Anime:**

**Thanks for your review. Regarding Froakie, that's a decision I'm still contemplating, bringing Froakie early on or later on. I believe the answer will come to me, but don't fret. Ash will have a Greninja with the Battle bond ability. Concerning the Legendaries, not all of them would be a single species. Like Latios and Latias, there would be more than one. Then Ho-oh, a pokémon like Ho-oh would be only a single species.**

**Guest:**

**Thanks man for your awesome reviews. I'll do my best to make amourshippers proud.**

**Before I go on to explain what happens in this chapter, I'd like to give a shout-out to Guest. He's been reviewing all my chapters since I started this fanfic and I'd like to say I'm glad to have someone like him as a reader. Thanks man. **

**Moving on. In this chapter,Ash and the gang leave the sanctuary after a week and Ash catches Bulbasaur. This is also the chapter where the final member of Ash's pokémon for a while would be introduced, and that's Squirtle. Someone very special we've all been waiting for to evolve does so in this chapter. I recreated the scenario of the Squirtle Squad to suit the story arc. After weeks of journey, the gang finally reaches Vermillion City. The battle for the Thunder badge is underway with Gary going first. What happens? Stay tuned. I present the eight chapter of Pokémon: Gotta Catch'em All. The list of a trainers and their pokémon is already out on my Profile page. So make sure to check it if you get lost.**

_**Chapter 8: Attack of the Squirtle Squad**_

With ease, Butterfree dodged the vines and headed straight for Bulbasaur with a bug bite attack. Before Butterfree could land a hit on Bulbasaur, the dual grass and poison type erected an emerald shield in front of himself. Butterfree ended up slamming into the shield.

"Are you okay Butterfree?" Ash called out. Butterfree regained himself and nodded an affirmative towards Ash.

"Use gust."

Butterfree flapped his wings, causing a gust of wind to be swept towards Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur dodged the attack before responding with razor leaf. Butterfree was able to evade it, but could not evade the vine whip that slammed into it and sent it flying. Butterfree was able to recover itself and waited for Ash's nedt command.

"Use confusion."

Butterfree used the psychic attack that ended up scoring a direct hit on Bulbasaur, and also confusing him. Bulbasaur was confused, but before Ash could capitalize on the confusion, Bulbasaur whipped himself with vine whip, snapping itself out of confusion.

"That is one smart Bulbasaur. Butterfree use stun spore."

Butterfree flapped his wings as he sent yellow spores at Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur grinned before sending the spores back with petal dance. Butterfree instinctively flew out of the reach of both stun spore and petal dance, but was slammed by Bulbasaur's power whip.

"Butterfree!" Ash shouted.

Butterfree slowly flew up and eyed a grinning Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur proceeded to taunt Butterfree into attacking by using his vines to make the "come get me" gesture.

"Don't let him get to you Butterfree. Use silver wind."

Butterfree flapped his wings so fast that he summoned twin pair of winds that were stronger than gust. They slammed into Bulbasaur and sent the grass type sailing through the air, before landing on the ground, hard. Butterfree took on a red glow as all his stats were increased.

Bulbasaur got up with a growl, feeling a little bit of pain from the super-effective move. Bulbasaur used vine whip to slam the ground, launching himself at Butterfree.

"Meet him with wing attack."

Butterfree shot off towards Bulbasaur, intent on slamming him with his wings. Butterfree collided with Bulbasaur but before they broke contact, Bulbasaur used sleep powder and Butterfree inhaled it.

On inhaling the powder, Buttefree dozed off. Ash could only yell for Butterfree to wake up as Bulbasaur unleashed a barrage of vine whip attacks. After the relentless assault from Bulbasaur, Butterfree began to stir. As Bulbasaur saw this, he resumed his attack.

After landing a single hit on Butterfree, Bulbasaur began to glow, but it stopped its attack to fight the glow. Ash saw this as an opening.

"Butterfree use psybeam."

The beam of psychic energy slammed into a preoccupied Bulbasaur and sent him sailing through the air.

"Catch him with string shot and finish with wing attack."

Before Bulbasaur could recover from the psybeam attack, he was covered with a strong web from Butterfree and was tossed into the air. Butterfree mustered up the last of its energy and launched itself at Bulbasaur, delivering a powerful wing attack to the face of Bulbasaur. Before impact, Bulbasaur had released a cloud of purple powder that Butterfree inhaled. The power behind the wing attack sent Bulbasaur crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

Butterfree was soon covered in a purple glow indicating that he was poisoned. Using those attacks in a row had taken a huge toll on Butterfree and he was left weakened. He flew down to Ash and the others before he was enveloped with a purple glow. The poison kicked in and Butterfree's world became dark. He was knocked out.

Ash hurriedly caught him before he could hit the ground.

Ash and all his pokémon were now back at the house. Melanie had healed both Bulbasaur and Butterfree of most of their injuries. They were now awake. Ash was slightly disappointed at the outcome of the match. Yes, Butterfree won, but it was only because Bulbasaur had lost focus on the glow. He knew that if Bulbasaur had focused on Butterfree, he would have won the battle. He kept on using vine whip for a reason. He was toying with Butterfree. He could have used a move like power whip or leaf storm to end the match quickly. Ash assumed that glow to be evolution, but he wasn't sure.

"They're okay now," Ash heard Melanie say.

"Huh?"

"Butterfree and Bulbasaur. A little rest and they should be back to full strength."

"Okay. Thanks."

"No problem."

"Umm... Melanie."

"Yes Ash."

"How old is Bulbasaur?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but he should be older than six months. When he first came to the village, it was about six months ago. He was battered and bruised, and I nursed him back to health."

"Then that means it must have been evolution," Ash muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, it's just that during our battle, he was fighting against a glow that I presumed to be evolution."

Ash heard Melanie sigh. "You see," she started. "Bulbasaur has had a problem with evolving. I don't know why he doesn't want to evolve. He has been battling with it for months now and I don't understand why?"

"Don't worry Melanie," Ash said to the sad girl. "I promise to get through to Bulbasaur."

Melanie looked at Ash who now had fire in his eyes. She smiled slightly as she hugged the raven-haired trainer. "Thanks Ash."

Ash was back outside with all his pokémon. It was about noon now and they had all eaten breakfast. Ash was pretty full himself after eating four whole plates, and that was him restraining himself. He knew that if he wanted to truly eat like he did at home, he might drain Melanie of nearly all her resources.

"Hey Bulbasaur. Can I talk with you for a sec."

"_Bul?_" Bulbasaur asked.

"Don't worry. You'll figure it out in a sec.'

"_Bulba, bulba, saur, saur_."

"You'll get used to it. I was born like this."

Bulbasaur trodded over to Ash and sat himself down near Ash's pokémon.

"Bulbasaur. I won't be able to help you if you don't tell me what's wrong. I'm not an enemy and I'll like to help you get over your fear of humans."

"_Bulbasaur_."

"Humans aren't bad. Sure there are a lot of bad humans out there, but not as many as the good ones. I've dealt with a similar case of abandonment too and that is this."

Ash showed him a holographic picture of him and a Charmander.

"Bul?"

"This is Charmander last year. Not my Charmander, but one we rescued from been abandoned by his trainer. He's now a Charizard at the Charicific Valley. This was his trainer Damian," Ash said as he showed him another picture of a boy. The boy was handcuffed and was been escorted by Growlithe.

"That's him after we reported the case of Charmander's abandonment to the League. The league has people for this kind of stuff, so you don't have to go ahead attacking humans. If the League gets word of this, Melanie will get in trouble. The Pokémon will be sent into confinement, and you could be put down."

"_Bul, ba, saur_."

"Of course it's true. I'm the Pokémon Master's son. I know this stuff. And I can help you get over your fear and learn to trust humans. But, only if you help me. I won the battle, so it's only fair you listen to me," Ash told him.

"_Bulba_," Bulbasaur said as he cast his head downwards.

"That reminds me. Why are you fighting your evolution?" Ash asked.

"_Bulba, bulbasaur. Bulba, bulba, saur, saur. Ba, saur saur. Bulbasaur, bul-ba. Bulbasaur, bulba, saur, saurbulba_."

"That's wrong Bulbasaur. Evolution is a natural process and fighting it for long is not healthy for a growing pokémon such as yourself. Every pokémon, excluding those that can't evolve, has a set time for it to move on to its next stage of growth. Forget about your previous trainer. He abandoned you because you didn't want to evolve yet. Forced evolution isn't a good thing, same goes for preventing evolution. Even everstones have precautions in their usage. Don't fight your evolution. Let it happen naturally." Bulbasaur was looking at Ash deeply, and saw the sadness and anger in his heart.

"Your previous trainer was a fool for abandoning you just because you didn't want to evolve. If I had a pokémon as strong as you, I would do anything to make sure they stay with me. Heck, if you weren't fighting against your evolution, you would have defeated Butterfree, and doing so means that you can defeat most of my team by yourself. I promise to help you guys out in the Village and help you get over your hatred towards humans till I live the village. So, better get used to me 'cause you'll be seeing more of me everyday."

Ash got up and turned towards his pokémon. "No one should attack Bulbasaur. He has won my trust as a valiant fighter. I don't know how long we may spend here but, I do know that we are going to assist the village. But before that, let's train." They all cheered and gave their various cries. He led his pokémon to a section of the village to begin their training.

Bulbasaur walked over to where they were training and observed them. This kid barely knew him, but he was able to feel his pain, suffering and anger.

Ash had the same thing on his mind. While talking to Bulbasaur, he had felt his pain and his anger. What was it called again,... Empathy. The ability to feel and share another creature's feelings. The pokémon that were noted to be able to do these were the psychic types. And now he, a human just felt what a pokémon that was not even his felt. He made a mental note to ask Gary about it since he was psychic.

Throughout the day, Ash and his pokémon worked on various areas they needed improvement.

Ash had Eevee work on iron tail and started teaching her the powerful ghost move, shadow ball. Eevee had definitely improved in learning iron tail, though it was not yet near mastered. She was also quick to grasp the knowledge of using shadow ball. She was pretty solid in speed and stamina, so Ash had her working on her attack by having her run through all her moves over and over.

He had also been thinking of separating their training into various parts of the week. Sundays would be for attack and power training. Mondays were for defense and resistance training. Tuesdays were for speed and stamina training. Wednesdays were for accuracy training. Thursdays would be for general training. Friday would before sparring matches and Saturday, a day of rest. He would start this practice first thing on Sunday.

Cleffa had worked on Zen headbutt, and Ash could see the psychic energy on her head clearly. Ash had her work on increasing her speed by having her do laps with weights for her size attached to her. She also worked on her defense by having Eevee attack her with shadow ball. Since she had no defensive moves, Ash had her learn magic coat to compensate for that. The technique involved the user gathering a sufficient amount of psychic energy to coat the body and then using it to repel special attacks of pokémon. Their current focus was on Cleffa sufficiently gathering enough psychic energy. By the end of the day, she had gotten the glow down to the front part of her body, but the back was still a problem, and they would tackle it.

Ash had Tyrunt work on his speed and the power of his attacks. Defense wasn't a major problem in the Tyrunt-line, so Ash paid little attention to it, compared to his speed. Tyrunt also did some stamina training by running laps around the training area. Ash had him practice earthquake more. The attack was still not producing enough destructive power. By the time the day had rolled over, Tyrunt's earthquake could cause a small tremor that was enough to send Ash to the ground and keep him there for some seconds.

Ash had Scizor work on his stamina and speed. Due to his evolution, his stamina had reduced due to all the weight he had to carry around. He had him do laps around the training ground until he was unable to continue. After Scizor regained consciousness, Ash had him work on iron spear slash over and over again. The end results were pretty good. Scizor no longer passed out after using the attack.

Ash didn't have Beedrill learn any move, instead he had her work on her defense by sparring with Butterfree. He instructed Butterfree to attack her while she tanked the hits. If she couldn't continue anymore, she was to dodge the attack. Ash also had her work on her attacks by running all her moves back to back until she was unable to continue.

Butterfree worked on his defense and his attack power by sparring with Beedrill. The end results were pretty good. Ash later had him work on psybeam, silver wind and wing attack. Those were the attacks he had not yet gotten a hang of yet. By the end of the day, Butterfree's usage of all three moves had increased drastically, almost like they were almost mastered.

Next was the charming electric type Volt. Ash had the electric type work on his defense by having him receive Tyrunt's earthquake attack. Volt went rounds taking all of the earthquake attacks and any time he fainted, Ash would revive him. Later on, Volt practiced karate chop and unlocked the egg move, Cross chop, though Ash didn't know. Ash had him work on Cross chop, alongside thunderbolt, Thunderspeed and maneuvering in the air with sky launch. Ash would say the training paid off.

Psyduck had worked on his speed and his stamina. He had stamina, but not fast enough. Ash had him work on ice chop. The training was for him to work on forming the ice directly from his hand and using a cross chop. Psyduck had trouble and has yet to form the ice directly, so Ash had him work on ice beam for the mean time to increase his ice reserves. Psyduck had also worked on the power behind his muddy water attack and he had also nearly mastered the move.

Blaze had worked on reinforced dragon pulse. After Ash had seen him use the attack during their previous battle, he had liked the attack. Ash had him work on fuelling the dragon pulse with flames directly from his hands, instead of forming the sphere and spewing flamethrower down on it. It had taken a lot of work but Blaze was able to gradually get the flames to the sphere, but the technique was far from been mastered. Blaze had also worked on fire blast and iron tail.

Ash was not left out of the training. He had done laps around the area and worked on his aura powers. He had practiced using his aura sight and increasing it's range slightly. He had also worked on his aura manifestation and his aura sense, increasing them beyond the normal.

At the end of the training, Ash was pretty happy with the results they had. They went back to the cottage and had a nice meal with Gary and the others. After eating, Ash and the others went to bed after the hectic day they had just had.

**A Week Later**

About a week had passed. Ash and the others were now ready to leave the Village. Over the past week they had helped Melanie around the Village all the while training their pokémon. They had helped her develop the remote Village to something better than it was before. They had also helped train the various pokémon living in the Village. Melanie was happy about the turnout of events. Ash and the gang had also helped Melanie get in contact with the League and the Village had been licensed as a sanctuary for abandoned pokémon. It was officially named the 'Hidden Village.' Ash knew that the occupants of the Village would slowly increase with time since the League now knew of her efforts.

The Village was now equipped with technology to assist Melanie in her day to day activities. She would now be able to give out any pokémon to any trainer the pokémon wants to go with. It was also during this past week that they got to see Melanie's pokémon team. Her team consisted of scout pokémon and pokémon that look after the Village, and they were not kept in pokéballs but allowed to roam Kanto in search of lost and abandoned pokémon.

Her scout team, the team she sent out to search for pokémon that were injured, lost or abandoned, consisted of a Pidgeot. Next was the Ogre Darner Pokémon, Yanmega. The Tender pokémon, Milotic. The Brutal pokémon, Sharpedo. The Embrace pokémon, Gardevoir and the Blade pokémon Gallade. The team she kept with her in the Village were her Venusaur, and obviously her starter. The Nurturing pokémon, Leavanny. The Garden pokémon, Florges. The Herb pokémon, Meganium. The Bouquet pokémon, Roserade. The Fresh Snow pokémon, Glaceon, and the Astral Body pokémon, Gothitelle.

During this period, Ash had gotten to know each and everyone of Melanie's pokémon, alongside Gary, Leaf and Misty. Melanie told them first hand how strong she had been when she was still a battling trainer. She had also revealed to them the reason why all her pokémon were Scouts and Nurturers. Ash, been the battle that he had always been, challenged her to a battle. Obviously, she steamrolled Ash and his team with only Venusaur. They were now standing outside with Melanie and her Venusaur.

Gary also had great news on his part. Wartortle was now a Blastoise. So only Blaze was left out.

"So... I guess this is where we part ways," Ash started.

"Yeah," they all said with sad sighs.

"Well Ash," Melanie started. "It has been quite fun with you guys around, but I guess it's time for you to continue your journeys."

"Yeah, I guess so," Ash said. The others also wore sad looks on their faces.

"No need to be sad about it. We'll all meet sometime in the future, won't we?" she asked and they all nodded. "And of course you'll all come visit when you have the time."

"Of course we will," Misty responded.

"Guess this is it," Ash said as he and the others got ready to go.

"_Bulbasaur_!" came a loud voice. They all turned back to see the dual grass and poison type running towards them.

"_Bulba, saur, saur, basaur_," Bulbasaur said as he reached them.

"Wait. You want to come with me?" Ash asked. Bulbasaur nodded as he tapped Ash with his vine.

"Are you sure about this? What about Melanie and the other pokémon?"

"Don't worry Ash. I think it's best that Bulbasaur goes with you. In the past week that you've stayed here, he has warmed up to you, and I think you'll be the best trainer for him."

Ash smiled as he looked at Bulbasaur. "You really want to come with me?"

"_Bulba, Bulbasaur_."

"Alright then, pokéball go!" Ash said as he threw a friend ball at Bulbasaur. The ball hit and Bulbasaur was sucked inside in a red beam. The ball closed and dinged immediately, signifying the capture. Ash released Bulbasaur as soon as he was caught.

"Alright then. See you soon Melanie," Ash said. They all said their goodbyes and soon left the sanctuary.

Ash and the gang have been on the road for several hours now. They were all getting tired and decided to stop for rest. They had all just finished eating and were now busy training and bonding with their pokémon.

"Hey guys," Ash said to his pokémon. "There may be an upset in power due to the arrival of Bulbasaur, so we're are going to have a little Elite's test. Elite's test would be held once every month, and this is gonna be our first one."

He heard various various cries of agreement.

"Let's begin. The first test is to see who has the most destructive and focused power, so use your most powerful and refined moves. Eevee won't take part yet because she doesn't have any move of that calibre yet. Going first would be Cleffa."

Cleffa stepped forward as she prepared to use the only move she had with a bit of power. She steadied herself as her head began to glow blue. After it had reached a sufficient amount, she charged a tree, and the impact caused a small crater in it.

"Nice work Cleffa, though it still needs more work."

Cleffa nodded as she went to stand by the others. Ash motioned for the next pokémon, Tyrunt to step forward. Tyrunt took his spot in front of them. He took his time to focus on his move. Earthquake would have been his best bet, but he was not as good with it as with dragon breath. He opened his mouth to release a stream of emerald draconic energy at a nearby tree. Mid-travel, the dragon attack took the form of a dragon and charred the tree at the middle. After some time, the tree broke. Tyrunt cut off power to the breath attack as he turned to look at Ash.

"Still needs more work, but you're getting there," Ash said as he scratched Tyrunt just under the jaw. Ash motioned for the next. Scizor took a stance in front of Ash. He had been practicing how to fly with all his weight throughout the past week, and it had paid up. He took a leap into the air as he shot off with claws glowing white. He did a fast loop before disappearing. He appeared a second later and slammed into a tree, then another, and another, until the number of trees destroyed were about four.

"Nice job Scizor. That was an amazing aerial ace." Scizor nodded proudly as he stood by the others, all awaiting the next candidate.

"Beedrill, you're up."

Beedrill shot off and took on a battle stance. She didn't waste time to release the huge glob of poison at the nearest tree, burning it due to the corrosive nature of sludge bomb.

"Nice. Definitely some improvement in sludge bomb," Ash said as he gestured for her to get back. "Butterfree!"

The Butterfly Pokémon flew in front of Ash and began flapping his wings. The result were two pair of crescent wind, each glowing silver, bursting from the wings and slamming into trees, removing about three of them.

"You always surprise me Butterfree," Ash said as he pat him on the head. "Volt. Show us what you're made of."

Volt ran up and stood in front of the others. He revved his hands as he smirked. He was about to show Ash and the rest the fruit of the past week's training. He revved his hands one more time as his right hand shone white.

"Why not use thunderbolt instead of karate chop?" Ash asked.

Volt said nothing, but instead his left hand shone white also as he crossed them in front of his chest.

"Is that-?" Ash started but couldn't finish as Volt shot off with impressive speed at the nearest tree.

Nearing the tree, Volt jumped forward and swiped his hands outward to slam the tree. The impact caused Volt to break through the tree and pass through. He fell mid-flight and slammed the ground, causing a crater.

The result shocked all members of Ash's team at the growth of one of it's smallest members.

"Volt, wow! I didn't know that you'd learnt cross chop," Ash said.

"_That's me. I'm full of surprises_." At the exact moment, Volt released a small volt of electricity at them, shocking everyone.

"Volt!" Ash screamed at the shock as the Electric Pokémon snickered. Blaze, been the elder and all, smacked Volt on the head before puffing out a cloud of smoke.

"Next is Psyduck," Ash said after recovering from the shock.

The Duck Pokémon walked up and took a stance in front of them. He twitched a little due to the small shock he just received. Ash knew the exact move that Psyduck was about to use.

"Hey Blaze. Can you use protect to cover us from Psyduck's move."

_"Of course,_" Blaze said as he set his hands in front of him and let the green barrier form. Just then, Psyduck had slammed his hand into the ground, causing mud to erupt towards the trees. The move slammed into Blaze's protect, but the Charmeleon shrugged it off with ease.

When the move died down, about seven trees had been destroyed around about. Ash smiled at the result, and the others knew what had happened. Psyduck had beaten all of them, and all that was left was to beat Bulbasaur.

"Think you can top that?" Ash asked the Seed Pokémon.

_"Of course_," Bulbasaur responded as he stepped forward. He looked into the sky as he released a bright yellow orb, something Ash recognised as sunny day. Bulbasaur's bulb soon began to glow a bright yellow. After reaching a certain intensity, Bulbasaur bent his bulb and fired a bright yellow beam of light. The beam tore through the trees like a knife through butter, destroying nine of them before fading away.

As the trees fell, Psyduck fell backwards. He had been beaten and his title taken away from him.

"That was amazing Bulbasaur," Ash said as the dual grass and poison type jumped to hug him. Ash caught him in the air with joy as they all rejoiced. All except one.

"Hey Bulbasaur," Ash said as he pointed at a sulking Psyduck. Bulbasaur nodded and went to meet his fellow teammate.

"_Hey kiddo_," Bulbasaur said as he sat beside Psyduck.

"_Congratulations_," Psyduck mumbled after some seconds of silence between the two.

"_Thanks. What's the matter?_" Bulbasaur asked.

"_Nothing. It's just that I worked hard and was awarded the Elite position of strength, but you, you just beat me by just a few trees. It's not fair_."

"_Why do you say it's not fair? I say it's fair. We both trained hard for this moment, but there's one thing you forgot. And that is that I am the older and more experienced one out of all of us. I have almost equal experience with Blaze. So what are you gonna do about it?_"

_"I-I don't know,_" Psyduck slowly mumbled out."

_"Well you have two options. Either keep on sulking or you get up and take on the next challenge and have a say as one of the best in the team."_

Psyduck smiled as he looked up at Bulbasaur. _"I'll do it," _he said as he got up and walked back with Bulbasaur back to the others.

**Later that evening...**

Night had fallen, and all the Elites had been chosen. Blaze for experience, Bulbasaur for strength. Scizor for defense. Volt for speed. Psyduck for all roundness. Butterfree for accuracy. That is the current standing of Ash's team.

They were all gathered around the fire pit, all their tents and each one in their own tents. Ash was on the floor with all his pokémon sprawled around him. Volt on his chest. Bulbasaur by his head. Blaze by his side. Psyduck close to his feet. Scizor by his other side. Butterfree and Beedrill by his head. Eevee and Cleffa beneath his leg. Tyrunt by his head. They were all sound asleep, after the various activities of the day.

Splash!

Ash jolted up from bed, launching Volt from atop his chest. All his pokémon too woke up.

_"What's up Ash?" _Blaze asked.

"Shh..." Ash whispered to them as his eyes glowed blue. He took a look around and saw five creatures of the same size circling their clearing. "Show yourselves! I know you're out there."

The noise woke the others up.

"What's going on?" Misty asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"We're surrounded by five pokémon," Ash explained simply.

"Urgh...," Gary groaned. "And I was just getting to the good part."

"Of what?" Ash asked.

"My dream," he responded.

"You really are a fool, you know that," Ash said to him.

"Hmm. You're just jealous because I won the League in my dream and you came in second," Gary retorted.

"Like hell's that gonna happen," Ash responded with a smirk.

"Why you-"

"I thought you just said we were surrounded," Leaf interrupted.

Ash smiled as Gary stopped in his tracks, but his face soon took on a serious look. "Yeah. Five pokémon, all on different angles like some kind of ambush."

Just then, torrents of water from five separate sides came flying above the group. They met at the center and merged, before coming down in a large volume, soaking all of them and their things.

"Aah!" Misty and Leaf both screamed as they were drenched with water. Their water pokémon loved it, but it severely irritated and affected their fire, rock and ground types. After the water dried down, Ash took a look around, only to discover that they were gone. He growled in anger as their intended sleep filled night would be spent in drying their belongings and their pokémon, not excluding themselves.

**The Next Morning...**

Ash and the gang had recovered from their night assault from the five pokémon Ash strongly suspects to be Squirtle. They had finally made it to their next stop. One that separates them from Vermillion City. After passing through this city, the only destination ahead would be to their next Gym battle.

"We've finally arrived!" Ash announced as he pumped his fist into the air. "Our next stop before Vermillion City."

"Yeah," Gary said as he gave Ash a loud pat on the back.

"But doesn't the town seem too quiet to you," Leaf pointed out.

"Yeah," Misty responded. "There's not a single soul outside."

"Hello! Anyone here!" Ash shouted, but no response.

Soon, they started hearing the rumbling of an engine. They looked to the side to see an Officer Jenny on her Patrol Bike. She stopped a few feet in front of them.

"Hello Officer Jenny," they said to her.

"Hello. By any chance are you trainers?" She asked.

"Yep," Ash responded. "Official Pokémon League licensed trainers," Ash said as he held up his pokédex showing his Trainer I.D. The others also showed her theirs.

"Then I'm in luck because this town has a little pokémon problem," she said. "Follow me to the station and I'll brief you guys on the situation."

It took some minutes for them to reach the station. She took them to her office to have a private discussion.

"A pokémon problem you can't handle?" Misty asked as soon as Officer Jenny sat down.

"In a way," she said as she scratched behind her neck. "Five Squirtle have been causing trouble for this town for almost nine months now."

All five of them gasped. "They must have been the ones that attacked us last night," Leaf revealed.

"Really? Anyways, I've tried capturing them but they always flee before I can actually release my pokémon. It appears that these Squirtle may have been abandoned by their trainers and they now want to take out their anger and frustration on this town."

"If I may ask Officer Jenny, what exactly have these Squirtle done?"

"Thank Arceus they haven't done anything too serious. They occasionally rain down water on the town in excess, cause pitfalls for people to fall in, and rarely they take berries from the shops."

"Just that," Ash said as he laughed slightly.

"What's so funny young man?" Officer Jenny asked with slight irritation.

"Don't be mad Officer Jenny, it's just that I know what is wrong with the Squirtle. It's the exact case that happened with Gary's Squirtle when it was still younger, right Gary?" Gary nodded. "And I also know how to get them out of that current state."

"I hope you don't mind sharing this with us?" Officer Jenny asked.

"It's simple really. Squirtle are very proud pokémon. If you abandon one, it would feel it is not strong or needed enough and it will begin to crave attention, by destroying things and causing slight havoc and chaos. Let's go outside and I will settle things with the Squirtle."

Soon, they had gone outside and Ash had released Blaze.

"Hey Blaze. How about you help me correct a little error in someone's ways?"

"Always happy to help Ash," Blaze said with a maniac grin.

"Hey guys," Ash called out to the others. "Have your pokémon out just in case things get nasty."

"No problem there," Gary said as he released Blast. Leaf released Saur and Misty released Staryu.

Ash's eyes glowed blue as he took a deep breath. He spoke some seconds later, "Hey Squirtle Squad. I know you can hear me. My name is Ash Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town, and I challenge your leader to a battle. If I win, he lets me capture him, and you leave the Townspeople alone, but if I lose, you can do whatever you want with me and everyone in this town, no limits."

"What is he saying?" Officer Jenny questioned and was about to stop Ash but was stopped by Gary.

"Officer Jenny. I trust Ash with the whole of my heart just as he trusts me. He knows what he is doing. Just stand back and watch him work. Trust me, it isn't going to be like anything you've ever seen."

Officer Jenny halted and continued to watch.

"What do you say Squirtle? Or are you too chicken to accept my challenge. I guess it seems the Squirtle Squad are all talk and no action. If ever you do crawl out of that shell of yours, I'll be waiting at Town square. Come and face me."

"That ought to draw them out," Ash said as his voice returned back to normal.

"It's only a matter of time now," Leaf said.

A few moments later five small figures could be seen approaching Town square in the distance. As they came closerz they could all make out the shape to be that of the Squirtle. The quintet marched and stopped a few feet from Ash and the others. The thing about this group of Squirtle was that they were all wearing round black shades, with one of them having pointed shades. Ash assumed him to be the leader.

"So. You had the guts to honour my challenge. I hope you are ready?"

_"Squirtle, squirt, squir-tle."_

"Alright then. He's all yours Blaze."

Blaze stepped forward as he flexed his claws and stared at his opponent who stared back. Blaze liked this Squirtle. He had guts, but guts wasn't enough. Blaze shot a flamethrower into the sky to challenge Squirtle. Squirtle responded with a water gun to Blaze's face. Blaze dodged it but he was pissed. This Squirtle was going down. Blaze shot off like a rocket at Squirtle, but he was no fool. His plan was to draw out Squirtle and Squirtle fell for it.

Squirtle shot a water gun at Blaze but the fire type dodged by moving left and began circling Squirtle. Squirtle smirked as he withdrew himself into his shell and used water gun. Blaze instinctively threw up a protect to prevent the attack from slamming into him. As the water gun collided with the barrier, Blaze felt its power and was a bit taken aback. Squirtle soon became shrouded in water as he charged Blaze. Blaze met the aqua jet attack head on dragon pulse. The dragon move slammed into Squirtle and launched him backwards. Squirtle righted himself in the air and used aura sphere. Blaze's hands took on a metallic sheen as he swiped at the sphere, splitting it, only for Squirtle to slam into him with rapid spin. Blaze was launched backwards a bit but he recovered quickly. Squirtle slammed his hand into the ground, releasing an eruption of muddy water at Blaze. Blaze jumped up with a dragon pulse and used a flamethrower to propel himself towards Squirtle. Nearing Squirtle, he gave him a thunder punch to the head. The impact knocked Squirtle into the ground. Blaze jumped back for Squirtle to get back up. Squirtle brought both hands together as he prepared a water pulse attack. Blaze copied the same movement as he prepared to use reinforced dragon pulse. Both attacks collided but Blaze's tore through and slammed into Squirtle and sent him flying into a pole before he slumped to the ground. Blaze snorted smoke at his opponent's defeat.

Squirtle staggered slowly to his feet as his eyes glowed blue and he became shrouded in water.

_'Torrent,_' Ash thought to himself_. 'No holding back now.'_

Squirtle shot a water gun more powerful than the previous ones. Blaze moved away quickly before coming at Squirtle with fists sparking with electricity. Squirtle remained motionless before his hands glowed a bright bluish white. Focus punch and thunder punch clashed in an explosion of sparks. Blaze jumped back before blasting Squirtle with flamethrower, but Squirtle was able to use rapid spin to get inside the flames and head for Blaze. Blaze smirked as he slammed Squirtle to the ground with iron tail, creating a crater. He propelled himself once more with flamethrower and as he began his descent, he began charging fire blast. Nearing the ground, Blaze released the orb of fire that later took on the kanji for big. It slammed into Squirtle and charred the entire place, creating an even bigger crater. Squirtle was knocked out on impact.

Ash smiled. "You did-" he couldn't complete his sentence as Blaze became covered in a white glow. Ash watched intently as the temperature increased as the sun began burning brightly. A pair of wings sprouted from Blaze's back as he grew in height. His tail length increased and the tail flame became bigger. His single horn split into two larger ones. The ground beneath him shook as the Charizard was fully formed. He shot a flamethrower into the air. It was far more powerful than it was when he was a Charmeleon. Ash walked up to the now taller Blaze and hugged him from the side. Blaze put one arm over Ash as he roared into the sky.

Ash took a step back to observe him better. "How do you feel buddy?"

_"Stronger," _Blaze replied as he opened his wings to reveal a wingspan of about nine feet from tip to tip. He instinctively flexed the muscles and took off to the skies. He staggered a lot in the air while trying to get a hang of the wings. He eventually got it down and began practicing. Ash was full of joy. His starter had just evolved. He turned his attention to the downed Squirtle and caught him in a friend ball. He released a second later after registering his capture and revived him.

Squirtle opened his eyes and saw Ash. His eyes slowly drooped, realizing that he just lost the battle.

"That was an amazing battle Squirtle, but a deal is a deal."

_"I know,"_ Squirtle said sadly before turning his attention to the now sobbing Squirtle Squad. _"What about them?"_

Ash looked at the rest members before turning to Officer Jenny. "Officer Jenny. Concerning the rest of the Squirtle Squad?"

"They are free to go, and thank you for saving the town. I assure you that we will settle you."

"That is of a later concern Officer Jenny, the major priority now is the Squirtle Squad. I've caught their leader now, so they're currently goalless."

"And how does that pertain to me in particular?"

"Their major goal was to be wanted or to gather attention. With their leader gone, that goal is now dead. They have no driving force. I was thinking that the Town take care of the Squirtle."

"But why? They haven't done anything to help town, have they?"

"Is that so?" Ash said with a mischievous grin. He looked at Blade who was currently flying and instructed him to accidentally shoot embers on the town, via their Aura Link. Aura Link was something he had been working on. It lets the user contact someone who he/she has had a very close bond with via Aura, if they are within range.

Blaze nodded as he accidentally stumbled, releasing embers all over the area and setting things on fire.

"Oh no!" Officer Jenny shouted. At that moment, the Townspeople who were hiding in the comfort of their homes began running outside to put out the fire.

"Squirtle," Ash said. "Instruct your guys to help put out the fire."

Eager to help, Squirtle ran to his Squad mates and told them what to do. They all nodded at the task and did their best to help put out the fires. At first, the people were scared, but after seeing that the Squirtle were trying to help them, they were even more eager.

"You see Officer Jenny. The Squirtle aren't half bad," Ash said.

"Well-" she started but was cut off.

"They could even be this Towns very own Fire Squad."

"You'll just have to feed them and train them. It's not that hard," Gary said.

"Please," Leaf added.

"Urgh...Fine then. I'll see what I can do."

Officer Jenny left them as she went to talk with the Mayor concerning the Squirtle Squad. Ash and the gang went to find the Pokémon Center and healed up their pokémon while also making a call to home. Ash had told Professor Oak about Blaze's evolution and his newest capture, with Professor Oak congratulating him on getting all the Kanto Starters.

Later that day, the Mayor had called a Conference and had officially inducted the Squirtle Squad as the Town's Firefighters. Ash's Squirtle was happy for his Squad and they parted ways with plans on meeting each other in the future.

Another person that was super excited was Ash. He was filled with joy at his Starter's evolution. He was currently on top the Charizard and they were both soaring ahead of the others. Blaze now radiated more power with his evolution into Charizard and it also marked a step in their journey to be the best.

**Some Hours Later**

"Finally. We are here," Leaf said as she overlooked Vermillion City. "Hey guys, step on it."

"You wouldn't have had to wait for us if you had not ran," Gary said as he, Ash and Misty arrived.

"Vermillion City. The home of my third gym badge and gym battle," Ash said as he pumped his fist into the air.

"Don't forget me," Gary said also.

"You can both forget about your gym battles today. You can challenge Lt. Surge tomorrow. For now let's focus on getting our rooms at the Pokémon Center. I've been on the ground far too long. I miss the comfort of a warm, soft bed."

"Fine," both Gary and Ash said in defeat.

It didn't take them long to find the Pokémon Center and get registered for two rooms. Gary and Ash would share one while Leaf and Misty would share the other. As they entered their room, Ash immediately fell on one of the beds.

"I'm exhausted," he said as he removed his shoes and lay belly up on the bed. Gary also did the same.

"Hey Gary."

"Yeah."

"I've been meaning to ask. What happened to your fossil?"

"Oh that. It's with Daisy. I gave it to her as a birthday gift. It was a Lileep."

"Oh. Anyways you're challenging Surge tomorrow too."

"Yeah. The sooner we get those S.S. Anne tickets, the better."

"Yeah, you're right. There's a contest coming up next week. Chances are that we would see Serena sooner than we think."

"Oh yeah. Your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Ash retorted as he sat up and brought out his Dratini egg and began polishing it.

"There's no denying that you like her."

"I guess so. I don't know. Yes," Ash said in defeat.

"Then it's settled."

"I don't know. What about you Mr. Green."

"Don't you dare say it."

"I don't need to say it, you just need to know that you like Leaf."

"Oh. You'll pay for this Ash."

"You started it," Ash said as he dropped the egg and lay back down.

"Damn you Ash."

"Goodnight Gare-bear."

"I'm not in the mood."

"You are. See you in the morning." And there was silence.

**The Next Morning**

Morning came fast for the gang, and after the normal activities of the morning, they began their march to the Gym. Reaching the Gym doors, they saw two huge guys dressed in black suits and they seemed to give off the appearance of Bouncers.

"Excuse me," Ash said.

"What do you want kid?" One of them asked.

"We are here to challenge the Gym Leader," Gary said.

The two guys looked to each other before bursting into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Ash asked, feeling slightly irritated.

"You don't expect us to believe that four puny kids like you are here to challenge the Gym leader. What did you bring, a pair of Rattata."

Ash's mind immediately wondered off to earlier this morning when a girl had ran to the Pokémon Center saying that her Rattata had been injured in a Gym battle.

"So the rumours are true," Ash said. "You say four puny kids, but it seems to me you guys are scared and that's why you don't want to let us in."

"And why would we be scared of you?" One asked.

"Scared we might beat your previous Lt. Surge," Gary responded.

"Not in Hell."

"Then if you aren't scared let us in," Ash said.

"It's your funeral. Hey Lt. Surge!" One called out as he gestured for them to come in. "We've got another set of victims."

Soon, footsteps could be heard as a large hulking man wearing a white vest and camouflaged pants. He had yellow spiky hair and wore black boots.

"Well, well," he said in a very deep voice. "I hope you guys didn't bring any Rattata. I'm getting tired of crushing the little guys."

He looked over Ash and noticed Misty. "If it isn't the last Waterflower of the Cerulean Gym. Seems to me that you are with them."

"Good morning Lt. Surge."

"Which one of you is my Challenger today."

"The both of us," Ash and Gary said.

"And you are?"

"Ash Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town."

"Gary Oak from Pallet Town."

"The son of the Master himself, and the son of our prestigious champion. I hope you both won't disappoint. At least I can say this would be an interesting match. Who is going first?"

"I will," Gary said as he stepped forward.

"Hope you won't disappoint. Right this way to the field."

The field was essentially a normal field of dirt. It was made that way to help in the speedy movements of electric types.

"This is gonna be a three-on-three battle between the Challenger Gary Oak from Pallet Town and the Lightning American Lt. Surge. The battle will be over when three pokémon from one side are unable to battle. Substitutions are not allowed. Gym leader release your pokémon."

"So you've earned two gym badges. Go Pikachu."

Out of Lt. Surge's pokéball came the Mouse Pokémon. Its cheeks sparked with electricity, showing that it was ready for a fight.

"Pikachu huh. Go Nidorino."

Out of Gary's friend ball came his Nidorino.

"Challenger had the first move. Pikachu vs. Nidorino begin."

"Use poison sting."

"Dodge and close in with quick attack."

Nidorino fired the poisonous stings at Pikachu, but it easily blurred away with superior speed.

"Use electro ball."

"Dodge with double team and close in with drill run."

Nidorino quickly cloned itself as they began closing in on Pikachu. Just then Pikachu fired the electro ball, but it hit a copy instead, and the others kept on charging

"Use thunderbolt."

Pikachu released the powerful electric attack and wiped out all the copies, but the original was not there. Suddenly the ground beneath Pikachu cracked and Nidorino burst out with force, slamming his horn into Pikachu's jaw and sending the mouse flying.

"Well what do you know. Kid's got guts."

"It's a combo I've been working on with Nidorino by having him use drill run to tunnel under the ground."

"Smart move kid, and not only that, you've poisoned Pikachu."

Gary looked up to see a purple glow around Pikachu, thanks to poison point ability. "Nidorino horn attack."

Nidorino began charging Pikachu.

"Iron tail."

Pikachu's tail attained a metallic sheen as it ran at Nidorino. Horn attack and iron tail clashed in a stalemate. As they both pulled back, Gary barked a command.

"Venoshock!"

Nidorino shot the blob of poison at Pikachu scoring a direct hit and dealing severe damage.

"Taking advantage of Pikachu's speed huh," Surge said.

"Yep. Nidorino drill run."

"Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu tried to use thunderbolt but poison kicked in slowing it down enough for Nidorino to land the drill run. The attack knocked Pikachu out.

"Pikachu is unable to battle. Nidorino wins. Gym Leader send out your pokémon."

"Go Magneton."

Out if Surge's pokéball came the Magnet Pokémon.

"Magneton vs. Nidorino begin."

"Get in close."

"Drill run."

Magneton closed in on Nidorino who was using drill run.

"Supersonic."

Magneton halted immediately and used the sound based move. It scored a direct hit, confusing Nidorino. The poison type staggered before slamming his face to the ground.

"Zap Cannon!"

"No, Nidorino snap out of it."

Magneton fired the powerful cannon of pure electricity at Nidirino, sending it flying into the psychic barriers were it slumped down to the ground, paralysed.

"I'm surprised that this didn't end in one shot, so I apologise for your Nidorino."

"No! Get up!" Gary barked.

"Magnet bomb."

The steel type move knocked out Nidirino almost quickly. There was no way for Nidirino to avoid it because Magnet bomb never misses.

"Nidorino is unable to battle. Magneton wins. Challenger send out your next pokémon."

"Come on out Growlithe."

"Going for type advantage kid. You'll need it."

"Growlithe vs. Magneton begin."

"Fire spin."

"Dodge and magnet bomb."

After dodging the fire spin, Magneton shot the inescapable bomb of magnet at Growlithe.

"Flamethrower, burn it away."

Growlithe released the torrent of flames from his mouth, burning away the entire attack and continuing towards Magneton.

"Dodge and zap cannon."

Magneton dodged the flamethrower before shooting the powerful orb of electricity.

"Dodge with flame wheel."

At the last second, Growlithe became surrounded in a wheel of fire as he dodged the electric attack and rammed Magneton.

"Nice. Now fire spin."

Growlithe released the vortex of flames from his mouth, trapping Magneton in it and doing damage.

"Magneton! Break out of there with spark."

From inside the vortex of flames, Magneton's body lit up with electricity as he threw it at Growlithe.

"Counter with heat wave."

Growlithe opened his mouth and released an orange red breath of flames at the spark. The attack cancelled out the spark and slammed into Magneton.

"Follow up with fire fang."

Growlithe ran at Magneton and using his greater size, he picked it up with his flaming mouth and shaked Magneton like a rag doll, dealing damage.

"Magneton! Use spark."

"Throw it and flame spin."

Before Magneton could spark up, Growlithe launched it into the air and jumped back. A vortex of flames shot out from Growlithe's mouth and surrounded Magneton and halting spark. A torrent of flames was soon seen in the fire spin, heading straight for Magneton. The combined fire spin and flamethrower created an explosion that knocked Magneton out.

"Magneton is unable to battle. Growlithe wins. Gym leader send out your final pokémon."

"You've done good kid. I should have known you weren't like those other trainers with Rattata. You actually know how to battle."

"Thanks Lt. Surge."

"However, it's time for brutality. Bring your best 'cause you'll need it against him. Go Manectric."

Surge launched a pokéball into the air and white light shot out from it. As the light condensed, it took the form of a wolf-like pokémon with blue body. It had spiky yellow mane on its body and red eyes. Its tail was also bent at an angle facing up. It growled and stretched as it was released from his pokéball. Its eyes tensed as it saw Growlithe.

_'Manectric huh. They aren't known for strength but their speed is a major pain. And of course, this is a Gym leader's pokémon. Growlithe is also tired from using flame spin. I should proceed with caution.'_

"Manectric vs. Growlithe begin."

Some moments passed and Surge hadn't made a single move.

_'Why hasn't he given a command?' _Gary questioned in his mind.

"I just thought of a way to make this battle more interesting."

"Huh?"

"If you land a single hit on Manectric, you win the battle."

"Seriously? I'm in," Gary said. 'For him to say this, it means that either his Manectric is really strong or he has an ace up his sleeves.'

"Manectric electro ball."

"Dodge."

Manectric tensed his legs as he shot off faster than Gary could make out. 'Its fast.'

Manectric appeared a second later with the electro ball fully formed and shot it at Growlithe so fast that the pup couldn't even move an inch. The attack slammed into Growlithe and launched him into the psychic barrier.

**Up in the Bleachers**

Ash was watching that battle with critical eyes and was a bit shocked at the speed of movement and attack that Manectric possessed. It was even more surprising because this was the pokémon a Gym leader was allowed to use to challenge two badge trainers. This was the power of a Gym leader.

**Back at the Field**

Growlithe slowly got up battered and bruised. Electro ball increased in power the faster the use was in comparison to the target. Given the difference between Manectric's and Growlithe's speed, electro ball surely packed a wallop.

"Growlithe use flame wheel."

Growlithe became shrouded in a wheel of flames as he charged Manectric.

"End this Manectric. Charge Growlithe and dodge. Finish up with thunder."

Manectric growled in pleasure as it charged Growlithe. Nearing the pup, it dodged and faced Growlithe's back. Manectric sparked up with electricity as it shot a massive beam of yellow lightning at Growlithe. The attack Growlithe out upon impact and launched him at the psychic barrier. Gary recalled him before he actually hit the barrier.

"Growlithe is unable to battle. Manectric wins. Challenger send out your final pokémon."

"Told ya kid. Why don't you bring out your last runt so we can finish this. Hope it's not a Bulbasaur or Ivysaur by the way."

"No it's not."_ 'It took out Growlithe so fast. The next pokémon won't even hold a candle to its speed. I'll just have to take my chances.'_ "Go Geodude."

Out of Gary's friend ball came a fairly large Geodude. It flexed its arms as it stared at Manectric."

"Geodude vs. Manectric begin."

"Be careful out there. Its really fast. Use extreme caution."

Geodude made its own equivalent of a nod.

"Going for type advantage is wise. But using a slow pokémon against a fast one, not so much. Don't make me change my view on you."

"Don't worry Lt. Surge. I know what I'm doing. Geodude let's show them. Rock polish into rollout."

Geodude slammed both hands together as a metallic sheen covered his entire body. He folded himself as he began using rollout.

"Dodge and iron tail."

Manectric dodged the rollout as its tail took on a metallic sheen. It descended on Geodude.

"Block with hammer arm."

Geodude stopped its rollout as one of its arms glowed white and it used it to defend against iron tail. Hammer arm and iron tail clashed and fought for dominance but Hammer arm prevailed.

"Grab it and slam it."

Geodude grabbed Manectric's tail and slammed it into the ground.

"Now focus punch."

After some moments of focus, Geodude's arm attained a whitish blue colour which he used to punch a now stirring Manectric. The impact knocked Manectric further into the air.

"Now Earth power."

Geodude's body glowed yellow as he smashed the ground with his fist, causing it to erupt with yellow light bursting everywhere. Geodude's glow soon changed from a yellow one to a white one. Gary was overjoyed. Geodude was evolving.

From inside the white light, Geodude increased in height and grew feet. His hands became bigger and he grew a smaller set of hands. As the light died down, a Graveler was now in their midst. Graveler roared, announcing his presence.

**Cliffhanger! I didn't see this coming. Of course I did, I'm the writer. Geodude's evolved into Graveler. How does this affect Gary's battle. Of course in the next chapter, Ash gets to face Lt. Surge. Does he win?(I don't know). To anyone who may have found the battle between Surge and Gary at the start to not be interesting, I apologise for that. I was seriously down when I wrote those battle scenes, but I later improved on it. Once again, I apologise. Blaze has evolved. How does this affect the balance of Ash's team? Read and find out. In the next chapter, there would be a lot of character appearances and battles in preparation for the S.S. Anne. Serena comes back to prepare for the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest. Paul makes an appearance. The Team Rocket trio also makes a comeback. So keep in mind that the next chapter would be huge. Once again, don't forget to Read and Review and watch out for the next chapter Two Badges and one Ribbon. Draconian 216 out!**


	9. Apologies

Greetings fanbase. Your boy Draconian216 here.

I apologise for lateness in update. You see, I was involved in a little accident and dislocated my right hand. It's getting better and that's why I'm able to write this apology. I'm still in the recovery process but when I'm done, the next chapter of Pokémon: Gotta Catch 'em All will be out.

Surprise from the Pokémon company, Ash has won the Alola league and is now the first ever Alola Champion. I know all of you are happy at this news and are all waiting to see what happens next.

Please bare with me and don't forget to Read and Review when the next chapter comes out.

Draconian216 out.


	10. Chapter 9: Two Badges and a Ribbon

**What's up guys? Sorry for the delay in update. I sincerely apologise Readers, for making you guys wait so long for Chapter 9 of Pokémon: Gotta Catch 'em All. My hands all better now so here's the next chapter, but first, some reviews:**

**\- Guest:**

**Thanks for your concern man and I still vow to make amourshippers proud. I honestly hope Serena makes a comeback in the Pokémon Sword and Shield anime.**

**\- Bloody Rogue Dragon Deity King:**

**Thanks man. I appreciate you for reading.**

**\- Joanne Frances Tiano Cajilig:**

**Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it. And your prayers have been answered, here's chapter 9.**

**\- Amourshipper35:**

**Yep. I think that was seen from the start. And for Gary's match, you don't have to wait any longer.**

**That's that for that, I guess. Welcome to the ninth chapter. In this chapter, the outcome of Gary and Ash's match is revealed. Also, I introduced the Pokémon Tech Academy in a different manner than that of the anime. Having Gary and Paul partake in it apart from Ash alongside Lt. Surge. Also, Paul makes a comeback in this chapter alongside Serena. Who's excited for this? I know I am. Serena partakes in the Vermilion City Pokémon Contest. Does she win? Who knows? I do. Anyways, I've dilly-dallied long enough. I give you the ninth chapter of Pokémon: Gotta Catch 'em All. Enjoy.**

_**Chapter 9: Two Badges and a Ribbon**_

"Awesome buddy. You evolved," Gary said with a huge grin.

Graveler gave him a thumbs up before slamming his hands into the ground, causing yellow light to slam into Manectric and knocking him into the psychic barriers.

"Not bad kid. You now have a huge chance of winning. But, would it be enough? Manectric iron tail."

"Of course it'll be enough. Graveler rollout and finish this."

Manectric's tail attained a metallic sheen as he charged at Graveler, hell bent on knocking him out. Graveler responded by tucking himself into a rollout. As both pokémon neared each other, Graveler attained a silver hue that covered his body and faded. He uncurled himself faster than normal and punched Manectric with a focus punch, sending him to the ground. Graveler jumped up and came down on Manectric with a solid hammer arm, creating a crater.

"Manectric is unable to battle, Graveler wins. Since Gym Leader Surge has lost all three pokémon, the winner is Gary Oak from Pallet Town."

"I won!" Gary shouted as he ran to hug Graveler.

"Congrats kid, You did well. I don't have time to pass out pointers because of your friend there," Lt. Surge said as he gestured for Ash to come down.

"No problem Lt. Surge."

Gary returned Graveler and left the field while Ash came down.

"Nice job Gary," Ash said.

"Thanks Ash, you better win."

"Of course, there's no way I'd lose," Ash said as he high-fived Gary and made his way to the field.

"Hope you won't disappoint."

"I won't," Ash said as he took his place on the battlefield which had already been fixed by the League's Psychic pokémon.

"This is a three-on-three battle between the Challenger Ash Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town and the Gym Leader Lt. Surge. The battle will be over when three pokémon from one side are unable to battle. Substitutions are not allowed. Gym Leader release your pokémon."

"Come out, Voltorb."

Out of Surge's pokéball came a Voltorb and it looked angry. If looks could kill, it might have killed Ash from the way it stared at him.

"Voltorb huh? In that case I choose you," Ash said as he threw his own friend ball. Out of it came his Psyduck.

"Using a water type against an electric type is not a very smart thing to do. Don't make me change my view on you."

"Don't worry Surge, I won't disappoint."

"Challenger has the first move. Psyduck vs. Voltorb begin."

"Psyduck, use water gun."

"Voltorb thunderbolt."

As Psyduck's jet of water was released, Voltorb released a bolt of lightning. The electric attack struck the water and electrocuted it, but Psyduck cut off contact before the electricity hit him.

"Ice beam on the field."_ 'I'll do best if I annihilate Voltorb's movement.'_

Psyduck quacked an affirmative as he used ice beam to freeze the entire field, giving Voltorb a hard time to move.

"Trying to eliminate Voltorb's movement kid. That's smart, let's see how it'll play out. Voltorb use thunder wave to hit that duck."

Voltorb sparked up as he sent a paralysing wave of electricity at Psyduck.

"Psyduck dodge and water pulse."

Psyduck dodged the incoming thunder wave by jumping up before releasing a pulse of water at Voltorb.

"Tear it with thunderbolt and hit Psyduck."

Voltorb sparked up once again as he used thunderbolt to destroy water pulse and continue towards Psyduck, only to find out that Psyduck was not there.

"Ice chop."

From behind Voltorb, Psyduck slammed his ice cold hands into the unsuspecting pokémon's face and sending him into the psychic barriers.

"Psybeam and then disable."

Without missing a beat, Psyduck blasted Voltorb with psybeam before using disable to prevent it from moving. Voltorb was trapped and at the mercy of Psyduck.

"Voltorb no way!"

"Yes way! Finish off with muddy water."

Psyduck quacked as he slammed his gusts into the ground, causing an eruption of mud to slam and knock out Voltorb.

"Voltorb is unable to battle. The winner is Psyduck. Gym Leader send out your next pokémon."

"You did well to surprise me kid and take out Voltorb so fast. I commend you for that. Go Jolteon."

"Jolteon huh? You think you can take it out buddy?" Ash asked Psyduck.

"Sure thing Ash," Psyduck replied with an affirmative.

"Jolteon vs Psyduck begin."

"Jolteon shockwave."

Jolteon formed an orb of electricity before launching a bolt at Psyduck.

"Dodge and ice beam."

Psyduck fired the ice attack at Jolteon.

"Dodge and come down on the ground with iron tail."

Jolteon avoided the ice beam and shattered the sheet of ice covering the field with iron tail. That put a dent in Ash's plans.

'_Shit_.' "Psyduck water gun and launch yourself towards Jolteon."

"Jolteon wait for it."

Psyduck shot a jet of water, launching himself towards Jolteon fast.

"Now ice chop."

Psyduck's fists froze as he crossed them in front of his chest, intending to strike Jolteon.

"Iron tail."

Jolteon's tail attained a metallic sheen as it slammed it into Psyduck and sent him flying. Psyduck hit the ground hard causing a small crater.

"Let it rain thunderbolt, Jolteon."

Jolteon sparked up as he shot a bolt of lightning that struck Psyduck hard, and sent him into the psychic barriers.

"Psyduck try to get up."

Psyduck tried his best but was too weak to get up.

"Finish what you started, thunder."

"Psyduck no!" Ash screamed as the powerful electric attack hit Psyduck and knocked him out.

"Psyduck is unable to battle, Jolteon wins. Challenger send out your next pokémon."

"Jolteon sure is quick with attacks. But I have a way to stop it. Go Bulbasaur."

"_Saur_!" Bulbasaur yelled as he came out of his friend ball.

"A Bulbasaur huh? This should be interesting."

"Bulbasaur vs. Jolteon begin."

"Start things with vine whip."

Bulbasaur summoned vines from his bud and tried to slam Jolteon, but it evaded the strikes.

_'Like most eeveelutions, Jolteon has bad defense. Like the others, it sacrificed all other stats for two others. Now if I can just land a solid hit or three, the match is mine.'_

"Jolteon quick attack into double kick."

Jolteon shot off very fast towards Bulbasaur.

"Perfect," Ash muttered.

Jolteon neared Bulbasaur and proceeded to kick him in the face. Bulbasaur endured the hit before wrapping Jolteon in his vines tightly.

"What?!" Surge exclaimed.

"Now power whip!"

Bulbasaur's vines glowed purple as he slammed it and Jolteon into the ground, creating a crater.

"Into the air and follow up with razor leaf."

Bulbasaur tossed Jolteon into the air before unleashing a barrage of razor sharp leaves at Jolteon dealing further damage.

"Jolteon!" Surge exclaimed as he saw Jolteon's hit the ground. Jolteon tried to get up but he was too weak to stand. Surge recalled him with a sigh.

"Gym Leader Surge, do you forfeit Jolteon?" the referee asked.

"Yes," Surge replied calmly. "A trainer is supposed to know when his pokémon can't battle anymore."

"Gym Leader has forfeited his pokémon. The match goes to Bulbasaur. Send out your final pokémon."

"Kid, you've battled well, but it's time I turned the tables around. Go Zebstrika."

Out of Surge's pokéball came a zebra-like pokémon with two white thunderbolt horns and spikes across its back. It bellowed as it came out.

"Zebstrika vs. Bulbasaur begin."

"Zebstrika flame charge."

Zebstrika responded by wrapping its body in flames and charged Bulbasaur.

"Dodge then vine whip."

Bulbasaur dodged the incoming attack and after the flames died, he slammed it with vine whip, but instead of doing damage, the vine whip was absorbed into Zebstrika and it glowed red.

"No way!"

"You see kid, Zebstrika's hidden ability is Sap Sipper, and it means that any grass type move will just be absorbed into it and increase its attack power."

"So that's why you chose Zebstrika. Guess I'll have to think my way out of this one, until then we'll just have to dodge. Bulbasaur I want you to dodge all their attacks. Just do your best to keep it up until I come up with something."

Bulbasaur nodded in agreement as he thrashed his vines on the ground.

"Hmm... How would you do this kid? Use shockwave."

Zebstrika formed an orb of electricity between its horns and shot a bolt at Bulbasaur who avoided it.

"Keep it up with either shockwave or signal beam."

And the assault began. Zebstrika would attack with shock wave or signal beam and Bulbasaur would dodge the attack by running around the field. They went back and forth until a shockwave hit Bulbasaur and knocked him down.

"Bulbasaur!"

"Nice job, now flame charge."

Zebstrika became wrapped in flames as it charged Bulbasaur. Midway, Zebstrika tripped on a crater and fell, cancelling the flame charge.

_'That's it. Zebstrika aren't good at running on uneven plains. And once more, damage to the leg eliminates them from battle. I know what to do.' _"Bulbasaur use vine whip to damage the field."

Heeding Ash's words, Bulbasaur summoned his vines and began thrashing the field.

"What are they doing?" Surge muttered. "Use shockwave while they are distracted."

Shockwave hit Bulbasaur and sent him flying, but he got up and continued to further damage the field.

"Zebstrika use signal beam."

The super-effective bug move slammed into Bulbasaur and sent him flying.

"Bulbasaur! I think that's enough," Ash said as he watched Zebstrika walk forward. "Perfect, use Dust powder."

Dust powder was a combo move Ash had worked on with Bulbasaur. The move involved Bulbasaur releasing sleep powder and poison powder simultaneously while using his vines to kick up dust to hide them and send them at the target. At this moment the dust was already in the air and had reached Zebstrika who had inhaled them.

"Skull bash, aim for its legs."

Using the dust as cover, Bulbasaur went in and bashed Zebstrika, sending it into the air and crashing down. When the dust cleared, Zebstrika was fast asleep and with a purple glow over it. It was poisoned.

"Zebstrika! Wake up!" Surge shouted.

"It's no use, razor leaf."

Bulbasaur unloaded the barrage of razor sharp leaves at Zebstrika but they were all absorbed.

"Damn it, use growl." _'So Hidden abilities are active even when the pokémon is asleep as long as they have unlocked it.'_

Bulbasaur growled as he lowered Zebstrika's attack power, but it was already awake and Bulbasaur ended up receiving a point-blank shockwave and was launched back.

"Oh no!" _'Bulbasaur's on his last legs, I'd better end this now.'_

Zebstrika got up, but was covered once more in purple glow as poison took effect.

"Damn poison, we're gonna end this, Flame charge."

"It's now or never, skull bash."

Zebstrika was wrapped in flames once again and began running at Bulbasaur who was running at Zebstrika with a tucked head. Both pokémon collided in a show of dominance, causing a small explosion of flames and smoke. The entire field was covered, when it cleared, Bulbasaur was knocked out with burn marks all over.

"Bulbasaur!" Ash yelled.

Zebstrika got up and bellowed to the crowd.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle, the match goes to-"

Just as the referee was about to call the match, Zebstrika was enveloped in a purple glow as poison kicked in. It fell down clearly knocked out.

"Both pokémon are unable to battle, it's a double knockout. Since the Gym Leader has lost all three pokémon, and the challenger still has one left, victory goes to Challenger Ash Satoshi Ketchum from Pallet Town."

"I won," Ash cheered as he went to hug Bulbasaur. "You did well buddy," Ash said as he returned him to his friend ball.

"Nice job kid, you clearly are a battler."

"Ash!" Gary, Leaf and Misty yelled.

"Hey guys," Ash said as they reached him.

"That was a nice battle Ash, congrats on winning," Misty said.

"Thanks Misty."

"Yeah Ash, that was a well fought battle," Gary said.

"Thanks."

"Come with me out back, I want to show you something."

"Don't worry guys, we'll meet at the Pokémon Center."

"Ok, don't delay you two, I'd like to explore Vermilion City," Leaf said.

"Don't worry, we won't take long," Gary said as they parted.

"First things first, as proof of your win at the Vermilion Gym, here's the thunder badge," Surge said as he handed the badge over to them.

"Thanks Lt. Surge."

"No problem kids. Now release all the pokémon you have on you now."

"Why?" Gary asked.

"Just do it."

Ash and Gary took out their friend balls and released all their pokémon. Out of Gary's friend ball came his Blastoise, Eevee, Pidgeotto, Krabby, Mareep, Horsea, and Abra. Out of Ash's friend ball came his Charizard, Elekid, Butterfree, Beedrill, Scizor, Cleffa, Eevee, Squirtle, and Tyrunt. Each pokémon came out with loud cries.

Surge looked at the pokémon they all released, accessing them silently.

"Perfect," Surge said with a grin.

**Scene Change**

"Where are we Lt. Surge?" Ash asked.

"This is Kanto's Pokémon Tech Academy or PokéTech for short."

"So why are we here?" Gary asked.

"Basically, we are here to set some kids straight. The PokéTech Academy teaches what it takes to be a battler, but only theoretically. These kids think that they can take on real trainers without proper battle experience. They deal with breeding to get the best traits and attributes in pokémon. I want you guys to battle them and teach them what it takes to be real trainers."

"If it means battling, I'm down for it," Ash responded with a grin.

"Me too," Gary said.

"Alright, let's go in."

**Few minutes later**

Surge had gathered a group of students and they were all assembled in front of Surge, Ash and Gary.

"All right, listen up you brats. You guys are the top six students in your class and you are gathered here because you phonies think you are real trainers. These two boys just won the thunder badge from me on a two badge level."

"That's easy, all of us here are almost at league level. You are barely a match for us right now Lt. Surge," a girl said.

"Oh really, then let's see you punks beat these two young men in a pokémon battle. Listen up brats, if you lose then you'll have to admit that you're not real trainers and accept Battling as part of your regime."

"And if we win, they'll have to drop their trainers license and join PokéTech."

"Deal. Now listen up, Giselle, Ryan and Miley, you're gonna battle Ash here," Surge said as he gestured to Ash. "Jake, Richard and Monica, you're gonna battle Gary," Surge said pointing to Gary. "Are you ready? Gary goes first."

Gary stepped forward as he cracked his knuckles. "So who's first?"

"I am," Jake said as he stepped forward.

"Hope you're ready for a fight. No holding back. Go Mach."

Out of Gary's friend ball came his Pidgeotto.

"You nicknamed your pokémon," Jake said while laughing. "You really are worthless."

"You may say that now but you'll try it after I beat you. A nickname signifies the bond a pokémon shares with his trainer. But enough talk release your pokémon."

"Come out Meowth."

"Pidgeotto vs. Meowth begin."

"Into the air."

"Use shadow ball."

As Mach flew into the air, Meowth sent a shadow ball after it.

"Dodge and quick attack."

Mach evaded the shadow ball before shooting off and slamming into Meowth with a quick attack.

"Now, air slash."

Mach flew back up before flapping her wings, releasing slashes of wind. It struck Meowth and sent it flying towards his trainer.

"Meowth get up!"

"Mach wrap it up, steel wing."

Mach's wings attained a metallic sheen as she launched herself at a staggering Meowth.

"Thunderbolt!"

Meowth gathered up the last ounce of its energy and shot the electric attack at Mach. Thanks to Gary's quick reflexes and expanded cerebrum, he was able to quickly order her to dodge. Mach swerved out of the way with a spin, before hitting Meowth and knocking him out. The impact sent Meowth flying far beyond Jake and into a wall.

"Pidgeotto wins," Surge said.

"That's one of the top students," Gary said. "They must all be weak."

The other students didn't say anything as Gary recalled Mach after thanking her for her work.

"So who's next," Surge asked. "Ash it's your turn."

"Who do I get to battle?" Ash asked with a grin.

"I'll take you on," Miley said as she stepped forward.

"Fine," Ash said as he held a friend ball. "Let's do this Scizor."

Scizor came out of his friend ball with a flip as he stared down Miley.

"How are you doing? This is a battle buddy so let's go all out."

"You talk with your pokémon?" Miley asked.

"Yeah," Ash casually replied. "You should try it."

"Hard pass. It's a waste of time. Come out Solrock."

Out of her pokéball came a Solrock.

"Solrock vs. Scizor begin."

"Solrock flamethrower."

Solrock spun on its axis before spewing a stream of flames at Scizor.

"Dodge with agility into aerial ace."

Scizor increased his speed before switching into aerial ace. Scizor slammed into Solrock and launched it into the air.

"Solrock use psychic."

"Counter with bug buzz."

Solrock launched a blast of psychic attack at Scizor but he countered with bug buzz. Both attacks clashed and cancelled each other out.

"Follow up with steel wing."

Scizor shot off on the ground as his light metal ability activated. His wings attained a metallic sheen as he approached Solrock.

"Psywave."

Solrock's eyes glowed blue as it shot blue rings of psychic energy at Scizor. Quick in his reflexes, Scizor slammed into Solrock and knocked it down. The super-effective move clearly did damage.

"Finish with bug buzz."

Scizor's wings vibrated as he emitted red waves of energy that slammed into Solrock, knocking it out.

"Scizor wins," Surge said.

"Nice job Scizor," Ash said as he watched Miley return Solrock. "You did good kid," Ash said to Miley.

"Umm.. thanks," she said as she left to join the rest.

"I think it's my turn," Gary said as he took his place on the field.

"Who's coming this time?" Surge demanded.

"I will. I'll show this wannabe how to battle. Go Seviper," Richard said.

Out of his Richard's pokéball came the Fang Snake Pokémon, Seviper.

"Seviper," it hissed as it came out.

"An arrogant one huh? Let's do this Eevee."

Out of Gary's friend ball came his Eevee. As he came out, he took on a battle stance on seeing the Seviper.

"An Eevee huh? It's no match for my Seviper. Seviper here is bred for maximum battling here. It's an example of how a Seviper is in its prime."

"Quit yapping about Seviper and let's battle."

"Eevee vs. Seviper begin."

"Quick attack into iron tail."

"Counter with poison tail."

Eevee crouched as he shot off, leaving behind a trail of white. His tail attained a metallic sheen as he clashed it against Seviper's poison tail. They both fought for dominance before Eevee pushed Seviper away.

"Shadow ball."

"Dodge."

Eevee formed the ball of otherworldly energy and launched it at Seviper, but it evaded the shadow ball.

"Night slash."

Seviper's tail end glowed a light purple as it charged Eevee.

"Sand attack."

Eevee launched sand into Seviper's path, blinding it momentarily, and halting its attack, while sending it tumbling.

"Now swift."

Eevee opened his mouth as he launched golden stars at Seviper. The attack sent Seviper into the ground were it staggered to its full length.

"Seviper use iron tail."

"Quick attack into iron tail."

Seviper's tail attained a metallic sheen as it charged Eevee who was coming with a quick attack. Nearing Seviper, Eevee leaped into the air and came down on Seviper with an iron tail. Seviper blocked with its iron tail. They both fought for dominance until Eevee pulled back and blasted Seviper with a shadow ball. The shadow ball carried Seviper into the air.

"Now swift."

Eevee launched the golden stars at Seviper's falling body, knocking it out.

"That's another down," Gary said as he watched Richard return Seviper.

"I'm up again," Ash said as he stepped forward with a friend ball in hand. He tossed it up as he took his place.

"I'll challenge you," Ryan said as he held a pokéball in his hand.

"Hope you're ready?" Ash asked.

"Of course I'm ready. Ready to serve you dirt that is," Ryan said with a smug look on his face. "Come out Cloyster."

Out of his pokéball came a Cloyster.

"If that's what you think, go Squirtle."

Out of Ash's friend ball came his recently caught Squirtle. As Squirtle came out, it took on a fighting stance and wore its pointed shades.

"Cloyster vs. Squirtle begin."

"Unlike those incompetent fools, I actually have a strategy to defeat you. Cloyster aurora beam."

Cloyster formed a multicolored beam from the horn on its head as it fired it at Squirtle.

"Dodge and rapid spin."

Squirtle dodged the aurora beam before inserting himself back in his shell as he began spinning towards Cloyster.

"Silly move. Use hydro pump."

Cloyster moved backwards as it fired a powerful jet of water from its horn at Squirtle. Squirtle dodged the hydro pump attack and slammed himself into Cloyster.

"Cloyster! Water pulse."

"Counter with water pulse."

Cloyster formed an orb of water in front of his horn and launched it at Squirtle who had also launched his own water pulse. Both attacks clashed, but Squirtle's water pulse broke through and slammed into Cloyster while exploding in a burst of water.

"Now charge Cloyster and use Aura sphere."

Squirtle landed on the ground and ran at Cloyster while charging an Aura sphere. Before Cloyster could get up, Squirtle launched the Aura sphere at it, dealing super-effective damage and creating a crater in the ground.

"Cloyster, use smart strike."

"Focus punch."

Cloyster charged Squirtle intent on stabbing it with its horn while Squirtle focused his power as his right hand glowed white.

"Squirtle be careful, smart strike never misses so get ready as it approaches you."

Squirtle nodded his head and opened his eyes just in time to see Cloyster slam into him. Squirtle took the attack before giving Cloyster an uppercut with focus punch, and sending it flying were it crashed on the ground, knocked out.

"Alright, way to go Squirtle!" Ash exclaimed as he returned him to his ball.

"Final battler for Gary, step forward."

"You are about to face a real battler," Monica said as she stepped forward. "I do not know what luck you possess but it ends here. I will humiliate you and your pokémon. Come out Cacturne, let's do this."

Monica tossed a pokéball into the air, releasing the Scarecrow Pokémon, Cacturne.

"_Cac-turne!_" It yelled as it came out and stared at Gary.

"Cacturne here is the strongest pokémon in my arsenal, you don't stand a chance. Give up now."

"What ignorance," Gary responded. "The battle hasn't started and you're telling me to give up. You must be really strong but however, I want to get serious too. I introduce you to my strongest partner, come out Blast," Gary said as he tossed his friend ball.

The light from the ball materialized into a pissed off Blastoise. "Blast," it yelled.

"A Blastoise huh. You must be competent enough to raise a Squirtle into a Blastoise unlike that wannabe who still has a Squirtle, however, it's no match for Cacturne."

"Blastoise vs. Cacturne begin."

"Cacturne use magical leaf."

Cacturne spun on its right leg before releasing glowing white leaves from its hands at Blastoise.

"Blast buddy, use icy wind."

Blastoise opened his mouth and fired a breath of chilled air at the incoming leaves, freezing them and continuing towards Cacturne.

"Dodge and needle arm."

Cacturne dodged the icy wind attack and his right arm glowed white as it continued towards Blastoise.

"Lure them in and ice punch."

Blast nodded as he waited for Cacturne's attack. As Cacturne made impact, Blast punched it with an ice punch. Both pokémon dealt super-effective damage to themselves, but Blast dealt more.

"Cacturne use revenge!" Monica yelled.

"Blast dodge with rapid spin and use focus blast."

Cacturne got up and charged Blast with body glowing white. But, before he could hit Blast, he had already tucked himself in his shell and used rapid spin to dodge. Blast landed behind Cacturne and nailed him with a focus blast.

The attack sent Cacturne flying.

"Let's end this before he gets up, Rapid blizzard."

Blast tucked himself into his shell and began spinning rapidly in one position.

"Cacturne get up!" Monica yelled.

"Too late."

Blast released the blizzard attack in his spinning form. The blizzard attack froze Cacturne and knocked him out. The attack also sent chills down everyone's body and it dropped the temperature slightly.

"That's that," Gary said as Blast walked over to him. "You did good buddy."

"_Blast_."

"Cacturne we lost," Monica said as she returned it.

"Sorry to disappoint Monica, I know you were expecting me to use water attacks. But did you think I wouldn't know about Cacturne's hidden ability, water absorb."

"How did you know that?"

"I'm no fool. Like you guys, I'm a theoretical battler, but in a practical way. I mix the two to create my own battling style. Theory is good but alone it's useless against one who can combine both theory and practical to create his own unique battling style. Your Cacturne was strong, but you couldn't utilise its current strength."

"Nicely said, Gary Oak," Surge said as he patted his back.

"Did you just say Gary Oak, as in son of Champion Blue Oak!" Monica exclaimed.

"Yes kid, you just fought the son of our Champion. Ash take the field so we can wrap it up."

"Alright Lt. Surge."

"Please, you kids have earned the right to call me Surge," he said with a laugh.

"Alright, I think Giselle was your name. Let's do this, I have pokémon to feed."

"Ash... I think, you're gonna be sorry you said that. The pokémon I'm about to bring out is the strongest in this school currently. Do you think you can face him and stand. The others are far below me in battling. Do not think you'll be battling a beginner."

"Oh really, you're on."

"I spared no expense on feeding him rare candies and giving him TMs. I made sure to have him grow to his fullest before evolving him. Here he is, most prized pokémon," she said as she tossed a pokéball into the air.

The light from the pokéball condensed into a Marowak. And not just any normal Marowak, it was a shiny one. It looked to be almost five feet. Giselle was not lying about anything she said.

"A shiny Marowak. You really meant what you said which means that I must do the same. Since you are using your ace, why don't I do the same. I introduce you to the first pokémon that I could call mine. The star battler of my team who has been itching for an all out fight after his evolution a week ago. He is my best friend and my partner. The strongest of my elites, Blaze."

Ash tossed his friend ball into the air and it released a white light. The light slowly condensed into a Charizard. Blaze spat a flamethrower as he roared into the air and stared down Marowak.

"_Is this the guy we're fighting?" _ Blaze said as he turned to Ash.

"Yeah Blaze that's Marowak and that's Giselle. They are our opponents."

"_Do I get to go all out?_" He asked Ash.

"Yeah. You've been feeling lazy so it's time you do some exercise."

"Are we gonna battle or are you gonna keep talking to that stupid Charizard!" Giselle yelled.

Blaze turned to her with a frown and bloodlust in his eyes.

"What a kid. How many weeks into his journey and he already has all three Kanto starters. A feat that not many can accomplish. Marowak vs. Charizard begin."

"Marowak use smack down."

"Into the air Blaze."

Marowak shot off at Blaze but he avoided it by taking into the air.

"Blaze flamethrower."

Blaze reared his head back as he spewed a stream of flames at Marowak.

"Block it with your club."

Marowak spun his bone club in front of him, sending the flames spreading everywhere.

"Use ancient power."

Marowak slammed his bone club on the ground, sending rocks flying towards Blaze.

"Protect."

Blaze held up his hands as a green barrier in front of him. The protect barrier held up against the attack.

"Now metal claw."

Blaze's hands attained a metallic sheen as he flew towards Marowak.

"Marowak use iron head."

Marowak's skull attained a metallic sheen as he ran at an incoming Blaze. As Blaze neared Marowak, Ash issued a command.

"Flame burst."

Blaze's mouth became filled with flames as he pulled back and shot a huge burst of flames that struck Marowak and sent him tumbling backwards into the ground.

"Now metal claw."

Blaze shot off as he struck Marowak in the gut, eliciting a cry of pain.

"Pull back let's give her a chance to regain her footing."

"Don't show concern, this is a battle. I don't need your concern cause I'm gonna win this battle, so you and your stupid Charizard better get ready."

"I was trying to be nice but that does it. After the battle I'll give you pointers. Blaze reinforced pulse."

Blaze roared as he formed a dragon pulse and spewed flames on it merging it, before launching it at Marowak and causing a small explosion.

"Marowak get up."

Marowak slowly dragged itself to its feet but its bone club was far from it.

"Marowak, stone edge."

Marowak slammed his hands into the ground, erecting spires of rocks that hurdled around it. It sent them flying at Blaze.

"Blaze, metal claw and iron tail to destroy the rocks. After that, give them a triple pulse."

Blaze's claws attained a metallic sheen, alongside his tail. He slammed and destroyed all spires of rocks before shooting three dragon pulse at Marowak. The first launched Marowak into the air, the second sent him further into the air and the last one sent it into the ground, creating a crater.

"Marowak! Get up!"

"Fire blast."

Blaze reared his head back as he fired an orb of fire that doin became the kanji for big. The fire type attack slammed into Marowak, creating an even bigger crater and charring the field.

"Use dragon dance then dragon pulse."

"Marowak get up and use skull bash."

As Blaze performed the dragon dance, Marowak struggled to his feet and began his skull bash attack. Blaze finished the dragon dance and spewed flames unto a dragon pulse. He launched the pulse at Marowak's incoming form. The impact caused an explosion that sent Marowak into the air.

"Now dragon rush."

Blaze crouched down as draconic energy surrounded him. He quickly flew at Marowak's falling body and slammed into it, knocking it out on impact.

"The battles are over. Ash Satoshi Ketchum has completed all his battles."

"Ketchum!" all the students exclaimed.

"Is he related to Pokémon Master Red Ketchum," Giselle asked.

"Of course you brats," Surge said with a laugh. "He's his son."

"His son!" they exclaimed.

"Giselle!" Ash called out. "Piece of advice. Never ever insult another's pokémon, no matter how miserable it or the owner is. Those words you spoke really angered Blaze. Thank Arceus, I didn't give him full control of the match. If I had, he would have done more damage to Marowak."

"I'm sorry," she said as she returned Marowak.

"Well punks. Looks like I won the bet. From tomorrow, you'll have battle experience exercises with me. This was on request from our Champion, so I could have implemented this from the beginning. I just wanted you brats to understand battling. So punks, to help me with you guys, I'm gonna require the help of these two. Prepare for it."

With that Surge, Gary and Ash left the Academy.

"Thanks kids. If I had battled those kids, I may have gone overboard."

"No problem Surge," Ash said.

"Yeah, it was our pleasure," Gary responded.

"Well, we meet tomorrow. Prepare yourselves cause it's a win-win. You teach them and your team gains battle experience. Anyways, see you later."

And with that Surge left.

"It's down to the two of us," Gary said.

"Yeah. Let's get back to the others."

"You got it."

**Moments Later**

Ash and Gary had arrived at the Pokémon Center and had given all the pokémon that participated in battles today to Nurse Joy. They contacted and the others and dropped off their bags in the rooms they had registered.

"Where were you? You guys took too long," Leaf said as she questioned both of them.

"Sorry Leaf. We were with Lt. Surge," Gary responded.

"Yeah. He took us to this building he called the PokéTech Academy to battle some students and set them straight," Ash said with a grin.

"He did?" Misty asked.

"Yeah," this time it was Gary who responded. "So from tomorrow until the S.S. Anne, we'll be having battle sessions with them."

"That's nice and all, but," Leaf said. "I want to explore Vermillion City," she said as she grabbed both Ash and Gary and led them out the door, with Misty following behind.

**Few Hours Later**

The quadruple had had a fun day that afternoon. They had eaten the local food, went relaxing in Vermillion City's famous spa. After that, they spent the rest of the day playing at the beach. They had all released their water type pokémon. They spent time at the beach playing in the sand and splashing in the sea.

They were currently now strolling around the city when they came across a big Gym-like building from which cheers were coming from.

"What's this?" Gary asked.

"It's Vermillion City's Contest Stadium," Leaf responded.

"It is...," Ash said. "Wait!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"What Ash?" Misty asked.

"Serena has a Pokémon Contest, and I think it's going on now," Ash said as he dashed for the stadium.

"Oh Ash. Seriously in a hurry to go see his girlfriend," Gary said as he crossed his arms.

"Is that so?" Leaf said in a whisper to Gary's ear, sending shivers down the boys back as she followed Ash into the stadium.

"Umm... Gary," Misty said as she snapped the boy out of his daze after moments of silence.

"Oh, sorry. Let's get going," Gary said as he and Misty went into the stadium.

**Moments Later**

"Where is Ash?" Gary asked as he and Misty caught up with Leaf.

"I don't know," Leaf responded as she continued searching.

"There he is," Misty said as she pointed towards his direction.

The trio headed over to his direction.

"Where have you guys been?" Ash asked as he noticed them. "I heard the finals have already started. Let's go."

And he went ahead with them following behind. The entered the huge room and looked towards the direction of the field. They saw a pokémon battle in progress.

"Hey Ash, isn't that Serena?" Leaf said as she pointed to a girl facing off against another girl.

"And it looks like she's winning," Gary said, pointing to the huge screen which showed Serena's face and her opponent. Serena currently had half of her points while her opponent had less than a quarter left.

"She must be really good," Misty said.

They heard a loud alarm go off as the timer on the screen reached zero. Cheers filled the entire contest hall as Serena and her Braixen were announced winners.

Soon it was time for the award ceremony. Serena was given the Thunder Ribbon of the Vermillion City Pokémon Contest. Ash and the gang waited until after the ceremony to go and meet Serena.

"Serena!" Ash yelled as he saw her.

She turned around and was surprised at the people she saw. "Ash, Gary and Leaf," she said as she ran to meet them.

She gave all of them hugs with a big smile on her face.

"I've missed you guys so much," she said as she broke out of the hug with Misty.

"We've missed you too," Leaf said as she hugged the honey-blonde girl again.

"Yeah. Congrats on winning the contest," Gary said.

"You guys saw it," Serena said as she broke out of Leaf's hug.

"Ehm... something like that," Ash said as he scratched the back of his head. "You see, I forgot and when I remembered, the finals had already begun. If I'm not mistaken, we came during the last forty-five seconds of the match. Sorry."

"It's not a problem Ash. At least you guys saw me win the thunder ribbon," Serena said as she showed them the ribbon. It was a yellow ribbon with white streaks and a yellow thunderbolt medallion at its center.

"It's beautiful," Leaf said. "Ash and Gary have already won the thunder badge from Lt. Surge."

"That's good then. All that's left is to hangout until the S.S. Anne, which is a month away," Serena said.

"Speaking of which," Misty said. "How are we gonna get tickets?"

"That's not a problem," Gary said with a grin.

"Why's that?" Leaf asked.

"You see, excluding the badge that Surge gives out, he also gives out tickets to the S.S. Anne to those who beat him," Gary said.

"That's good for both of you, but what about us?" Misty asked.

"We got you guys tickets too. Surge have it to us after the little exercise we helped him with," Ash said as he gave Misty and Leaf their tickets. "Now don't go losing it."

"We won't," they both said.

"That's awesome. I also have a ticket. It's part of the gift for winning the contest."

"That settles it then," Ash said. "We're gonna train until the S.S. Anne comes rolling in."

"Why?" Leaf asked.

"There's a contest on the S.S Anne were the top battlers win awesome prizes. Lots of trainers are gonna be there, so we need to prepare."

"A Contest to win prizes. That sounds good to me," Leaf said.

"Alright then, let's head back to the Pokémon Center. It's already past five o'clock."

"Yep. I'm with you Ash," Gary said.

With that, the group made their way back to the Pokémon Center. As they entered the Pokémon Center, Misty noticed someone.

"Hey Ash," she said.

"What Misty?"

"Isn't that Paul," she said pointing to the counter.

Ash looked closely and noticed the Purple haired trainer. "It is. And his aura is pretty high and calm. He must have won the battle against Surge."

"Who's Paul?" Gary asked.

"He's this awesome trainer I battled in Pewter City to a draw."

"For him to draw with you Ash, that means that he is in our league," Leaf said.

"Yeah. Let's go say hi," Ash said as he led them to the counter. "Hey Paul!"

On hearing his name, the purple-haired trainer turned around. "Well if it isn't Ash," Paul said as he recognized the raven-haired trainer.

"What brings you to Vermillion City?" Ash asked.

"Came to earn my third gym badge," Paul said with a grin.

"Nice to hear, that means Surge gave you tickets for the S.S. Anne?"

"Yeah. And hearing you say that means you already have your thunder badge."

"Yep. Before I forget. You remember Misty right?"

"Hey Paul."

"Yeah I do."

"Okay. These are my childhood friends, Gary Oak, Leaf Green, and Serena Sycamore."

"Hi," they all said.

"I shouldn't be surprised. The son of the Master himself is friends with the son of Kanto's Champion, the greatest Pokémon ranger, Forest Green's daughter and the daughter of Kalos' Pokémon professor. You really are something Ash."

"Well," Ash said as he rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish laugh.

"Anyways, I'm Paul Shinji from Sinnoh, Kanto's future Pokémon league winner."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Ash said.

"Calm down. I know deep down you all know who the real winner is... Me," Gary said.

And the three of them got into a three-way argument.

"Boys," Leaf said with a sigh.

"Yeah, all they think about is battling," Misty pointed out.

"I know how to break this up," Serena said. She turned her attention to the boys. "Hey guys, how about we go outside and compare pokémon."

They all stopped at the sound of that. Silently, Ash and Gary tool the pokémon they had left with Nurse Joy and began to walk in the direction of the training yard. They all stopped and turned to the girls.

"Aren't you guys coming?" they asked simultaneously, prompting the girls to run after them.

**Scene Change**

They were now at the training yard, each of them had their pokéballs with them.

"So how are we going to do this?" Leaf asked.

"I believe it is ladies first," Ash said.

"I'll go first," Misty said. "Come on out you guys."

Misty tossed five pokéballs into the air, releasing five pokémon. As the light materialized, it revealed a Staryu, Gyarados, Goldeen and two Poliwhirl.

"Wow Misty, you didn't tell me that your Poliwhirl had evolved."

"Sorry Ash. I wanted to keep it as a surprise. It happened during the one week we spent before we came here. Gyarados here has also learned twister and iron tail."

"Those are nice improvements Misty. So will you enter the Contest aboard the S.S. Anne."

"Of course and that means more training for us," Misty said as she returned them.

"Ok, it's my turn," Serena said as she tossed four pokéballs into the air, releasing four pokémon. The light condensed into a Braixen, Charmeleon, Clefable and a Sandshrew.

"So you chose Fennekin?" Leaf asked.

"Yeah, and now she's a powerful Braixen. I had her for a while before I became a trainer. I evolved Clefairy with the moon stone from Mt. Moon."

"So Charmander evolved."

"Yeah," Serena said as she returned them.

"How come you have two starters?" Paul asked.

"Well, Dad gave me Fennekin as my starter. He also gave me Charmander because that was the starter he received from Professor Oak when he was under him. He originally wanted me to have Charmander as my starter, but I loved Fennekin more."

"Ok."

"It's my turn," Leaf said as she tossed twelve friend balls into the air, releasing twelve pokémon. The lights condensed into a Venusaur, Skitty, Paras, Clefairy, Houndour, Spearow, Sandshrew, Onix, Pinsir, Pineco, Raticate, Nidoran male and female.

"So many pokémon," Paul said.

"If you think that's all, you're mistaken. She has others at home," Gary said.

"Are you a battler?" Paul asked.

"No. Future Pokémon ranger and field researcher."

"No wonder," Paul said as he watched her return her pokémon.

"That reminds me Misty," Ash said. "Your Omastar and Kabuto are ready for you to take them. I'll send for them this night."

"Oh, thanks Ash!" Misty exclaimed.

"I'm up," Paul said as he tossed six pokéballs into the air, releasing six pokémon. The light condensed to reveal an Infernape, a Grotle, an Elekid, a Fearow, a Sandslash and a Skorupi.

"Oh my, an Infernape!" Leaf exclaimed as she began taking pictures of it, Grotle and Skorupi.

"Who's that pokémon?" Misty asked, pointing at Skorupi.

"This is Skorupi. A dual poison and bug type. He was a gift from my elder brother," Paul responded.

"You also have two of the Sinnoh starters," Gary said, mouth agape.

"Yep," Paul said. "I'd like to see yours."

"Paul, when we battled did you have Fearow and Sandslash?" Ash asked.

"No. I caught Sandslash in Mt. Moon and I caught Fearow in Cerulean City," Paul said as he returned them.

"It's my turn," Gary said as he regained composure. He tossed ten friend balls into the air, releasing ten pokémon. The light condensed into a Blastoise, an Eevee, a Graveler, Growlithe, Krabby, Mareep, Pidgeotto, Nidorino, Horsea and Abra.

"A Blastoise. A fully evolved starter. Not bad."

"Not bad?"

"Yeah. You even have a rare Eevee and the very hard to catch Abra."

"Of course, I'm amazing. Bet you haven't seen a Kings Species Growlithe and a shiny Pidgeotto."

"Okay, okay don't turn this into a who captures rare pokémon contest," Leaf said as she pulled Gary's ear.

"Ouch!" Gary yelped as he rubbed his ear while returning his pokémon.

"Now's my turn," Ash said as he tossed eleven friend balls into the air, releasing eleven pokémon. The lights condensed into a Charizard, Psyduck, Elekid, Scizor, Butterfree, Beedrill, Tyrunt, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Eevee and Cleffa.

"Nothing you do surprises me Ash Ketchum," Paul said with a sigh. "All three Kanto starters in your possession. An Eevee and a Kings Species Tyrunt. A Cleffa and the infamous flying Scizor."

Ash scratched the back of his head while laughing sheepishly.

"How did you get all three Kanto starters?" Paul asked.

Ash sighed and narrated how they were attacked by Bulbasaur at night and how they came across the Hidden Village. He went on about how Bulbasaur was at first and how they were able to help Melanie and how Ash got through to Bulbasaur and became friends with him. He told him how they fought and he captures him.

Ash proceeded to tell him about their first encounter with Squirtle and his gang. How they found out he was terrorising the city. He told him about his plan to capture Squirtle and how it pissed off Blaze. He narrated how Blaze defeated Squirtle and evolved after the battle. How they purposely caused a fire so that the city would accept the rest of the Squirtle Squad.

After the story they fed all their pokémon. By the time they were done, it was already seven after eight.

"Oh no!" Paul exclaimed.

"What, Paul?" Ash asked.

"I forgot to register for a room."

"That's okay. You're welcome to stay with me and Ash," Gary said.

"Thanks a lot. I need to get up early tomorrow. I have a little biz with Surge."

"And what's that?" Misty asked.

"I'm helping set some students straight at the PokéTech Academy."

"Really, so are Ash and Gary," Leaf said.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Gary responded.

"If that's the case, we should get some shut eye," Ash said as he returned all his pokémon. "We're going to be staying at the Pokémon Center until the S.S. Anne, I've missed the sweet softness of the bed."

With that, he made his way to their rooms. "Tomorrow we'll request a spare card key for Paul," he said with a yawn. The others followed and they all fell asleep after saying good night, with Serena joining the girls.

**The Next Morning**

Morning came quickly, but due to the stress of the previous day, they did not wake up early. Serena was the first to wake up around nine o'clock. She lazily got up and woke Misty and Leaf who also lazily got up. She went outside to the door of the boy's room. She knocked on the door for about twenty minutes before she heard a reply. Gary was the one who got up to open the door.

"Good morning Serena."

"Morning Gary. Check your Xtransceiver. What time is it?"

He looked at it before giving a reply. "It's almost ten."

"Mm hmm," Serena said as she crossed her hands.

Then it hit Gary. "Almost ten!" he exclaimed as he ran back inside. "Paul, Ash wake up. It's almost ten."

Ash and Paul got up. "We're late," Ash said as he got up.

They hurriedly prepared themselves before running down to the gym. They ran in and met those two hulking guys at the reception area.

"Where's Lt. Surge?" they asked.

"He's out.. back, in the training area," one of them responded.

"Thank you," they said as they took off running again.

"What was that about?" One asked.

"They looked pretty crazy to me. Damn kids."

**At The Training Area**

"Sorry we're late Surge!" They yelled as they entered. Surge turned his head towards the door and saw them.

"What's up kids?" He said as he halted his pokémon training and went to meet them.

"We're fine," Ash said as they caught their breath.

"Yeah," Gary and Paul said.

"I guess you kids are ready to set some brats straight."

"Yes... Yes we are," Gary said.

"Just give us a second to catch our breath," Paul said.

After recovering themselves, they looked up to see Surge's electric pokémon resting. His pokémon ranged from the big ones like Electivire and Magnezone, to the small ones like Plusle and Minun.

"Did you bring your pokémon with you?" Surge asked.

"Yes we did."

Noticing their awestruck nature, he understood what was going on.

"So, you boys like what you see right?"

"Uh-huh," they responded.

"Which one of them is the strongest?" Ash asked.

"That would be Raichu," he replied. "Thor, Zone and Jolt, come," he said in a commanding voice.

They watched as an Electivire, Magnezone and Jolteon came towards them.

"Are these the pokémon you'll be taking with you?" Paul asked.

"Yes," Surge replied. "Now let's go," Surge said as he returned those three to pokéballs.

**PokéTech Academy**

They had arrived at the school and Surge had gathered all the students in the school. They were all rich kids. He had addressed them, telling them that they are going to be undergoing battle training and that it was going to be practical and not theoretical. He divided the students into four groups. He gave Ash, Gary and Paul three students each to handle, while he took on the rest of the students. He had already told them what to do. They were to give the students battle lessons, Dodging, attacking and defending while also evaluating their pokémon and having battles with them.

He gave Ash, Paul and Gary the same students they had battled the previous day.

Ash took his group to a part of the training area to begin lessons.

"Hello everyone. As you know, I am Ash Satoshi Ketchum, and by request of Lt. Surge and I'm here to help you guys improve your battling skills."

To them he sounded cool, but he clearly did not know what he was doing. A thought entered his mind.

"Come out Scizor," Ash said as he tossed Scizor's friend ball into the air. The light condensed into a Scizor. "This is Scizor. He's going to be the principal pokémon I will use to teach you."

"_Greetings Master Ash_," Scizor said.

"I've told you not to call me that," Ash said in a frustrated tone.

"_I apologise Master Ash_," Scizor said.

Ash groaned as he turned to the students. He laughed slightly as he saw the confused looks on their faces.

"Anyway," Ash said to them. "Release your main pokémon."

They nodded as they took their pokéballs from their belt. Giselle released Marowak, Miley released Solrock and Ryan released Cloyster.

"Wow," Ash muttered. "It's surprising to see them obey me because I beat them."

_"It is true Master_."

"Damn you Scizor," Ash said with a sigh before turning to the students. "Now who can tell me the most important thing in training pokémon."

"Strategy," Ryan said and the others agreed with him.

"Wrong," Ash said. "The most important thing is trust."

"Why is that?" Giselle asked.

"This is because. When your pokémon trusts you. It is willing to go an extra mile just to make you happy. And when you trust your pokémon, you'll be willing to go the extra mile just to make them happy. That's the relationship I have with my pokémon and that's why we're as strong as we are."

"So in all things pokémon, trust has to be there between both parties. Strategy is also important in a battle, but it is also good for you to be able to perform crazy attacks out of the blue. Each Gym Leader has a strategy they use to form their battling style. Surge's battle style is a combination of force and speed. All his pokémon can perform speedy an at the same time powerful attacks and a bonus, electric pokémon are all fast. That is Surge's battle style."

"In training your pokémon, you have to take these following things into consideration. It was Professor Oak who told me this. Number one and make sure to take note. Dodging and evading. The first thing you should teach a pokémon how to evade. No pokémon is born with powerful moves, so they need to know how to evade powerful attacks. That was the first thing I thought my Charmander now a Charizard."

"The second thing is attack training. Constant practice of a particular move in order to increase its power will end up strengthening a pokémon's attack strength. Another thing to note is that the speed at which the attack is used also increases."

"The third is defense training. In order to increase their defense, pokémon need to make multiple attacks at a time. Doing this continuously, you will discover that it would take longer to drop the pokémon than the first time. The same can be said for defense moves and resistance to vulnerable attacks."

"The fourth thing to know is speed training. Running laps around designated areas help improve a pokémon's speed alongside its stamina."

"The fifth is accuracy training. Improving a pokémon's attack accuracy is very important."

"The sixth but not the least is bonding. You should take time once in a while to bond with each of your pokémon and improve the trust you have in each other."

"That is that. Now I want to see you guys attack each other."

**With Leaf, Misty and Serena**

The trio were currently in their room, chatting with themselves.

"So the boys are out battling with students. What say we practice?" Leaf said.

"It's a good idea. We need to be in top form for the S.S. Anne tournament," Serena said.

"Yeah my water types need a good workout."

"It's settled then. To the training yard," Leaf said as she led them to the open field.

"Come on out everybody!"

**Hours Later At PokéTech Academy**

Ash was currently panting and so were the students under him. He was with Beedrill, Butterfree, Scizor, Eevee and Cleffa. He had used these pokémon to drill the students for the time being. His pokémon were all panting but the opposition were all knocked out.

"I think we're done for today. Battling is not just an act but a lifestyle. Lt. Surge I'm done here!" Ash yelled.

Soon Surge rounded up the battle session, and dismissed the trio.

And that was how it went. For the first week they had taught the students battle tactics and for the remainder of the period till the S.S. Anne, they had battled the students at the Academy daily, increasing all their pokémon's experience. And after that, they trained with the girls at home. They had all grown individually alongside their pokémon and improved greatly.

Surge had sent their details and accomplishments to the other gym leaders for all their help in setting the PokéTech Academy students straight. The training exercise they had used was brutal for Ash, Gary and Paul. After training at the Academy, they'd come and join the girls in battle training. None of them slept until it was two in the morning. They were on strict discipline. They wake up by eight. Ash, Gary and Paul go to the Academy while Leaf, Misty and Serena undergo battle training. After finishing from the Academy, Ash, Gary and Paul heal their pokémon. After they collect their pokémon from Nurse Joy, they resume another set of training alongside the girls. Learning moves, improving attack and attack power, increasing defense and improving speed. It was during this period that Ash had found out that Bill had met with Paul and had given him assistance.

The training paid off and it was the day that they were to board the S.S. Anne. They had already signed out off their rooms in the Pokémon Center. After giving their pokémon one last check-up at the Center, they left and went to stock up at the PokéMart. From the PokéMart they stocked up on berries in their unlimited berry pouch. Ash and Serena shared his pouch. The berries they stocked up on were type protection berries and they also got vitamins like iron, protein, carbos and the rest.

Ash finally decided it was time for him to get TMs. He decided to surprise himself and got eleven TMs, one for each of his pokémon. After getting all they wanted, they left the PokéMart and began their trek to the Vermillion Harbor. On reaching the Harbor, they were in awe at the size of the ship in front of them.

"This thing is humongous!" Misty exclaimed.

"You're right," Leaf agreed.

"Well, according to PokéWorld today, the S.S. Anne or the St. Anne is a cruise ship three hundred and sixty meters long and with a passenger capacity of two thousand at the least and a maximum of five thousand. It houses two thousand five hundred plus rooms and weighs two hundred and twenty eight thousand tonnes," Serena said as she looked up from her Xtransceiver.

"Amazing," Ash said as he looked up at the amazing cruise ship.

The cruise ship was coated with white paint and with impeccable glass windows. The deck looked like it take three pokémon battle field easily. They watched as the large doors of the St. Anne opened and the stairs extended. It was time for people to board. The crowd of people boarding the St. Anne was large.

**And that's it for this Chapter. Hope you guys like the battle between Ash and Surge, and the conclusion battle between Gary and Surge. I had a little writer's block while writing that. I also hope you guys liked the battle between Ash and Gary against the PokéTech students. I had to come with that one out of the blue. I thought of Ash's battle with Giselle in the anime and decided to tweak it a little and have them help teach the students for the duration of the time they spent waiting for the St. Anne to port. In the next chapter, the Team Rocket trio appear. The start of the S.S. Anne arc begins and it lasts for two or three chapters. The St. Anne tournament also starts in the next chapter. Team Rocket appears and they begin to make plans for the destruction of the St. Anne. The next chapter is going to feature a lot of individual moments and calls to Pallet Town. That's all for now. I'll try to update the next chapter faster. I'll do my best. Don't forget to Read and Review. Until then, draconian216 out.**


	11. Chapter 10: The St Anne

**I'm draconian216 and I'm back with the third chapter of Gotta Catch 'em All fanfic. Once again, before I move on. I would like your criticism in the fanfic. If there is anyway you feel I have done something wrong, you can write it as a review. I look forward to your suggestions, don't forget to Read till the end. Now some reviews. **

**\- Guest:**

**Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed the battle between Surge and Ash. And I thought it wasn't that impressive. I'm glad you loved it. And I bet you're also going to love this chapter.**

**\- Shadoath:**

**Thanks for reading, and I'm glad you liked the story so far, and as for where I'll take it. If you've liked it so far, you'll like where I'll take it. As for Eevee's evolution, I want it to be regal and royal looking, I'm going to leave Umbreon for Gary. Then Ash's Eevee, I'm torn between Glaceon and Espeon as they are both regal looking. Some might suggest Sylveon, but it's more playful than royal. I know it will come to me. No need beating myself up. As for Ash not having the dark type, he still has about a year and nine months beforr the league, so there's plenty of time to get one.**

**That's that. Hope you all are excited about chapter ten. Lots of things happen in this chapter. Ash and the gang board the St. Anne in all its glory. In this chapter, they also show little changes that happened during the past month. Ash hatches another egg. Yes, He now has a Dratini. They all enter the St. Anne tournament and all make it through both rounds of the first preliminary stage and are about to begin the second stage. Isn't that awesome and I'm sure you all are going to love the prizes for the top four. I also introduce one of Ash's traveling companions from the anime. You'll have to wait and see who it is. I plan on introducing all of them early. It just came to me, and I trust my writer's imagination. I mean, it's what has helped me come this far.**

**That's about all of it. I know it's hard to keep with the changes in pokémon and all the trainers, so to make it easier, I've written a list of the permanent trainers and their pokémon. It's on my profile draconian216. Without much delay, here's Chapter ten.**

_**Chapter 10: The St. Anne**_

"Tickets please. Make sure you have your tickets ready at the boarding point," a man at the entrance to the ship shouted with a large megaphone.

They were all excited. It was time to board the greatest cruise ship in the world. They were a lot of people, but lucky for them they came earlier than normal. They ascended the stairs to the boarding point.

"Tickets please," the man said as they reached him.

They gave him their tickets one after the other. He scanned the tickets with a device he held in his left hand to make sure that they weren't fake. After confirming that they were indeed real, he gave them their rooms via same device. They were all riding first class. Ash was in First Class-025, Gary was in 026, Misty was in 027, Leaf in 028, Paul was in 029 and Serena was in 034. They were all pretty close to each other.

"Have a wonderful cruise," the man said as he ushered them in.

They were in awe at the interior of the ship. A very luxurious carpet covered the floor, and it looked like it was one made for a King or the high-rankings in the League. The wall of the ship was filled with beautiful paintings of Legendary pokémon and that of past and present Masters. The paintings were made by the famous artist Leonardo Othello. He was the greatest artist in all the regions and they say he hailed from the Galar Region. Ash knew the St. Anne was not for only trainers like himself and the others, but the number of wealthy citizens on board surprised him.

"Wow," Misty finally said.

"That aside, let's get to our rooms," Gary said with all eagerness to begin enjoying the cruise.

"Yeah, how do we find it?" Serena asked.

"There's the map, let's check it," Leaf said.

"You guys are forgetting something," Ash said.

"What?" they all asked.

"I remember a certain wealthy man, Bill giving us stuff to help on our journey. One of them was an update to the Xtransceiver, giving it details and directions to any and everywhere in the world," Ash said, sounding like a Scientist.

"That's true, but how do we do it?" Leaf asked.

Ash turned to his Xtransceiver. "Xtransceiver."

The device turned on and the holographic system activated. "**Yes Ash**," it replied.

"I need directions to St. Anne, First Class-025."

"**Got it,**" the device responded as it displayed where he was on its screen and the destination as a red dot on the screen and showed all the routes to reach there from where they were.

"That's handy," Leaf said. "How do they come up with such ideas?"

"Who knows?" Ash responded as they began to follow the directions. It didn't take long before they arrived at the hall. Each of them parted to their various rooms and Ash was the last to arrive at his room.

He opened the door with the key that was given to him at the boarding point. Entering the room, he was awestruck. A royal, golden carpet decorated the floor. He looked to his right and saw a king-sized bed with beautiful, white bed sheet and large fluffy pillows. The room looked like it could contain all eleven of his pokémon. A beautiful lounge chair was positioned in the direction of a large television. By his left was a closet, he had doubts if he would use it, and a bathroom. By the side of the bathroom door was a small pool. By the side of his bed was a pamphlet containing a list of guest services. He walked to the bathroom and was surprised at how beautiful it looked. White tiles joined the floor to the wall. A bathtub with a shower and the odd Water Closet. The lighting if the room was perfect and even the fan looked really expensive. The curtain design was also very luxurious.

He doubted whether this room was actually for him or a celebrity. He even had a mini fridge. After getting over the surprise, he tossed his bag on the bed and set his whole team loose. And removed the incubator that contained his Dratini egg and placed it on his bed. His team came out and were a bit taken back by the change in environment.

"Hey guys. I know you're a bit surprised at where we are. You see after defeating Surge, he gave me a ticket for this cruise ship that we're on. We're here to relax from all the hard work we've been doing. However, there's going to be a tournament aboard, so we are also hoping to win it. Sound okay?"

His team looked around. They had all worked hard and deserved a break. Psyduck immediately jumped into the pool upon seeing it, with Wartortle joining him. Ash knew this would happen. Butterfree and Beedrill took to the window side with Clefairy tagging along. Blaze went to the lounge chair and lay on it with plans of lazying about. Ivysaur and Scizor took their spots at the side of the bed. Eevee climbed the bed and curled up into a ball. Tyrunt just payed in the middle of the room, watching the door. Ash had noticed that Tyrunt had started growing more feral. It seems his primal instincts had started kicking in. He lay on his bed, before noticing something. His egg had started glowing and wobbling. It was about to hatch. He quickly sat up as the egg began to crack. He removed the glass covering the incubator as the egg finally broke and Dratini came out.

"Hey there Dratini. My name is Ash."

**With Serena**

Serena had already gotten over the shock of the room and had released her pokémon. She currently had Delphox. Braixen had evolved after all that rigorous training they had before they reached the St. Anne. She had Charmeleon, Clefable, Sandshrew, she had also requested for Pancham from Professor Oak and had caught a Feebas.

All the first class rooms were pretty much the same. She was happy Ash had sent the map of the ship to her Xtransceiver. Her Feebas was currently in the pool. Charmeleon and Clefable were by the window. Delphox was on the lounge while Pancham and Sandshrew were on the bed with her. She was looking forward to the Tournament aboard the St. Anne.

"I'd better call mum," she said as she turned on her Xtransceiver.

**With Misty**

Misty was on the bed and had all her pokémon except for Gyarados who she had sent back to accommodate her Kabuto, with the promise of using her in the tournament. The rest of her pokémon were in the pool. Starmie, Goldeen, Her two Poliwhirl, Kabuto and Omanyte. She had evolved Staryu before the St. Anne arrived.

_'I'll take this tournament by storm. But first, I better call my sister's,'_ she thought.

**With Leaf**

Leaf was currently on her bed with all her pokémon released. Saur was currently on his belly beside her bed. Houndour was curled up in a ball at the center of the room. Skitty was beside him also curled up in a ball. Her Fearow was by the window which had a perch for flying type pokémon. Her Spearow had evolved during a battle with Paul's Fearow. Clefairy and Sandshrew were also by the window. Onix was currently in his pokéball due to his size. Pinsir and Pineco were beside the closet. Nidorino and Nidorina were on the lounge chair while Slugma was beside the chair.

"Hey Saur. How about we call mum and dad and give them an update?"

"_Saur_," her starter responded.

**With Paul**

Paul was on his bed as he contemplated the tournament. Infernape was sitting cross-legged at the center of the room. Grotle was on the bed beside him, sleeping. Electabuzz was seated cross-legged by Infernape. Paul had been noticing the rivalry between the both of them. Elekid had evolved during a battle with Infernape. As it took a powerful flamethrower from Infernape and fought to his feet, he evolved. Sandslash and Fearow were by the window. Skorupi was by the closet resting. He had also caught a pokémon who was currently at the lab. He had caught a pretty powerful shiny Teddiursa. She was defeated by his Elekid but she really tired him out to the point Elekid couldn't stand after the battle, prompting Paul to catch her. And for some reason, she knew thunder punch, fire punch, and ice punch.

"Alright," Paul said as he shot up. "Time to call Reggie."

**With Gary**

The brunette boy was pacing around his room. He had already unloaded his bag and had released all his pokémon. Blast was in the pool floating belly up. Eevee was resting on the bed. Graveler was curled up into a ball by the side of the closet, with Growlithe beside him also curled up. Krabby was also in the pool. Mach was perched by the window side. Flaaffy was lying belly up on the lounge chair. His Mareep had evolved during a battle against Volt. Nidorino was lying beside the bed. His Horsea was also in the pool but at the bottom. And finally, Kadabra was meditating and levitating her spoon. Abra had evolved in a battle with one of the PokéTech Academy students.

Gary suddenly stopped pacing. "I'll call Dad first, before Gramps," he said as he turned on his Xtransceiver.

**Back with Ash**

Ash had spent few minutes introducing his self and the rest of his pokémon to Dratini and after she had warmed up to them, he let Cleffa look after her while the others continued with what they were doing.

He picked up his Xtransceiver and dialled his Dad's number. It rang before his Dad and his face was shown on the screen.

"Hey Dad. Good morning."

"Morning Ash. How are you doing?"

"I'm great Dad, I'm currently aboard the St. Anne," Ash said as he showed him around his room and his pokémon.

"That's good news Ash. I take it you'll be participating in the Tournament right?"

"Of course Dad. I'm in it to win it. And even if I don't win, I'll earn experience that way."

"That's my champion. So you beat Surge?"

"Yep. He was the one who gave me the tickets. Anyways Dad, my Dratini egg just hatched."

"Seriously. That's great news."

"Yes it is. But I need help."

"In what area?"

"Her skin. It's so soft. I'm afraid I'll damage it."

"Well son, your best bet is to call Professor Oak. He helped me out when my Dratini egg hatched."

"Oh okay. Thanks for the advice Dad."

"No problem Ash. And Ash."

"Yeah."

"You're on a cruise. Take time to enjoy yourself and get to bond more with your pokémon."

"Will do Dad. Bye."

"Bye son, take care."

And the line disconnected. He dialled Professor Oak's number. It rang for almost a minute before he picked up.

"Hello Professor Oak, good morning."

"Good morning Ash my boy. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine Professor. How's the lab and all the pokémon?"

"Well they do miss you guys so much."

"I miss them too and what about you Professor Oak? How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine Ash my boy. Forget about me and let's talk about you. It seems your Dratini egg just hatched."

"How'd you know?"

"I just recently received an alert showing that a Dratini had been added to your team. And my guess is that you are calling because of its soft skin."

"I should have known. Nothing gets past you Professor Oak," Ash said with a laugh. "That's exactly what I'm calling about."

"Well, new born Dratini need about one to two weeks for their scales to begin to harden, even in the wild. During this period, their skin is extremely fragile and any impact to the skin will cause permanent damage and might even lead to death. And even after their scales harden, they shouldn't battle for another week or so. What you need to do as the trainer is to apply lotion. Did you get some before you boarded the St. Anne?"

"Yes. I got all kinds of lotions an- Wait! How do you know I'm on the St. Anne. I have my ways, plus the background you have is a clean giveaway."

Ash looked back at the luxurious room in the background before laughing.

"Anyways Ash my boy. Go through them and look for Scale Hardener. All lotions are developed by Silph Co. and have their various functions. I suggest you go through them and begin usage immediately. The Scale Hardener is specially designed with chemicals and minerals found in the water that Dratini are rumoured to stay. While she doesn't battle, rub this lotion all over her scales with a soft cloth. This will help with the soft scales. That's about it."

"Thanks Professor Oak."

"Anytime Ash. You Leaf and Gary keep on making Pallet Town proud. Bye."

And the line disconnected. He dialled another number on his Xtransceiver and it didn't take long for the receiver to answer from the other side.

"Hey mum. Good morning."

"Ash, sweety. Good morning. How are you doing? Where are you now?"

"Relax mum, I'm fine. I've got Blaze by my side." Hearing his name, the pseudo-dragon walked over to Ash to join in the conversation.

"Oh if it isn't little Blaze."

Blaze made the Charizard equivalent of a blush at the words of the woman who bred and fed him.

"How are you Blaze? Hope Ash is doing well."

Blaze nodded his head as he snorted a puff of smoke at Ash.

"Blaze!"

Delia just laughed at the antics between the two.

"Anyways," Ash said rolling his eyes. "I'm fine mum. I'm currently on the St. Anne."

"You're on the St. Anne? That's great news Ash. Does your dad know?"

"Yep. I called him earlier to tell him."

"You did." That was not a question. Ash was a bit frightened at Delia's dark face. "So you decided to call your dad before me." Her expression had gotten darker and Blaze was snickering.

"No mum," Ash tried to explain but only stammered in the process.

"**All Passengers are expected to gather at the Ship's Main Hall for a little briefing now!"** A voice from the speakers in Ash's room said.

"Sorry mum, I'll call you later," Ash said as he hung up.

"Wait Ash," Delia said from the other side, but he had already hung up. "That boy," Delia said to herself. "He's going to regret this."

Ash breathed a sigh of relief. "Saved by the bell, or in this case, the speakers."

Blaze soon couldn't hold it and burst into laughter.

"What are you laughing about?"

Blaze's laughter intensified at the question.

"Go on and laugh. I'm dead. My mum might kill me. Anyways, I'm going to the Main Hall, you're in charge Blaze and no monkey business," Ash said as he left the room and locked them in.

After finding the Ship's Main Hall from the map in his Xtransceiver, he headed there. He met with the others on the way, and all six of them went down to the hall together.

Reaching the Main Hall, they were even more starstruck. Huge chandeliers were hanging from the top of the ceiling. Tables sitting six people were everywhere with fine wine glasses on each table. At the center of each table was a bucket containing chilled non-alcoholic wine that was kept chilled by ice cubes. The chairs were also very lavishing. The flooring was impeccable. Looking forward, one could see a raised podium made of fine wood with a microphone.

Soon the Hall was filled with all the passengers of the St. Anne. Ash and the gang were seated and soon waiters and waitresses entered the Hall, moving from table to table, serving the wine to each of the glasses. After they left, a man dressed in a white sailor's uniform walked in and took the stage. He walked up to the microphone and began to speak.

"Greetings everyone and welcome to the St. Anne. I am your Captain, Captain Jones and it is my pleasure to serve you in the Grandest Ship to ever sail the seas. The St. Anne would begin her departure for Cinnabar Island in a couple of hours, were she will drop all passengers before going to port back in Saffron City were she will prepare for next year's journey. The trip is going to take roughly six days during which there would be a Tournament aboard that would last for about four days. The Tournament is open to everyone and is not restricted to only trainers. I advice everyone to please have a map of the ship as it is quite easy to get lost. As you may have seen from the pamphlet I your rooms, there are a number of services aboard the ship, so I assure you that you won't get bored during your stay here. Also, there would be a banquet by eight o'clock. Suits would be provided for all male trainers and dinner gowns for all female trainers. It is also advised that you come with a date for the banquet. There would be breakfast every morning by eight in the morning and dinner by eight in the evening. That is all. I remain your Captain and once again, welcome to the St. Anne."

With that, he left.

"That was quite a briefing," Paul said.

"They are also going to provide suits and gowns for all trainers aboard. That sounds nice," Leaf said.

"We've still got some time before the ship departs. What do you guys want to do?" Gary asked.

"Well, there's a huge pool at the back deck. What do you say to checking it out?" Ash asked with a grin.

**Moments Later**

All six of them were currently in their swimwear and had each taken a pool chair for themselves. They had also come with some of their pokémon who were willing to come. Misty came with both Poliwhirl. Paul brought Fearow because he didn't have any water type pokémon. Serena had brought Feebas. Leaf had brought Skitty. Gary had brought Blastoise and Ash had brought Wartortle.

"Cannonball!" they heard from Ash as he jumped into the pool followed by Wartortle, creating a splash. The others soon followed suit. Paul's Fearow took to the skies as he gave the go-ahead not to fly far away from the ship. Gary's Blastoise hit the pool with a huge splash. Gary had to help him a little so he won't hurt himself. They swam for a few minutes before Ash was hit with a large volume of water. It was a water gun. He looked up to see Gary and Blastoise laughing.

Ash looked at Wartortle and he got the message. Wartortle immediately went underwater and swam towards Gary and dragged him underwater causing the boy to scream. Due to the fact that Wartortle was faster in water than Blastoise, he was able to get away easily. He dragged Gary to where Ash was. Seeing that his plan was complete, he lounged at Gary and gave him a submission hold. Ash was laughing triumphantly while Gary pleaded.

"Water gun!" Misty yelled. Both of her Poliwhirl shot jets of water at both Ash and Gary. The first blast took Ash in the face, while the second one took Gary in the cheek as he was laughing at Ash.

Ash and Gary soon surfaced and they all scanned each other. It was war. Each one with his own pokémon darted for the other. Paul was in a tight spot since he didn't have any water type pokémon. They continued this little game for about an hour before going back to the deck. They shared stories about travels, talked about the upcoming league and stuff like that and just downright played with each other, having fun aboard the best cruise ship in the world.

"Hello. This is Captain Jones, and it is with great pleasure that I tell you that the St. Anne has left Vermilion harbor."

There were loud cheers atop the deck as everyone ran to the side to see the ship depart. The trio continued their pool conquest until it was some minutes to four o'clock.

"We better get going. I bet those guys are starting to get hungry," Ash said.

"Yeah. You're right. Fearow!" Paul called out as he watched the flying type land by his side.

"All right then, let's go eat," Leaf said as she led the way, been the ever cheerful one.

**Scene Change**

They had all gone to their rooms and had gotten the rest of their pokémon. They were currently inside the cafeteria and had ordered food for all their pokémon. Ash added a zinc vitamin to each of their food, already coming up with a pattern of giving them that. Zinc was for Mondays, carbos was for Tuesdays, protein was for Wednesdays, Calcium was for Thursdays, Iron was for Fridays, HP ups were for Saturdays and rare candies for Sundays. The others had also chosen to do the same but in a different manner. His pokémon all had at their food and Ash had to assist Dratini to eat due to her just hatching. They all are to their fill and Ash worked up an appetite and went back to his old ways. He ate roughly seven plates, claiming that it was to gain energy.

After eating, they all decided to head back to their rooms and prepare for the upcoming Banquet.

Ash lazily opened his room door and released all his pokémon, with each of them taking their favorite spots. He looked at his bed and noticed that his suit had already arrived. He hanged it in the closet as he lay in his bed. He looked at the time. Four forty-five in the evening. He decided to close his eyes but he shot up as he realized that there was something he had not done yet.

"I'll be right back you guys," he said as he ran out of the room. His pokémon were all surprised at the way he ran out of the room, but that was their trainer, kind and weird.

Ash ran down the hall before stopping in front of Serena's door. He knocked on it and she opened a while later.

"Ash."

"Hey Serena. May I come in?

"Sure. I don't mind."

Ash walked inside the room and noticed how her pokémon had already claimed spots for themselves. As he entered, Delphox noticed his presence and simply waved her stick to show that.

"I see you've settled down."

"Yeah. It seems they already know the best spots to have."

"Same thing here. Umm.. Serena. Can I ask you something?"

"Of course Ash. Ask me anything."

"How do I put this," he muttered. "Okay. Will you go to the Banquet with me tonight?"

Serena was taken aback for a few moments before she gave Ash her answer. "Of course I will Ash. If not you, who else, my Aura Knight."

Ash blushed slightly. "Thanks Serena. Should I pick you up or will you meet me there."

"I'll meet you there. It takes girls a lot of time to prepare."

"Okay, see you then," Ash said as he left the room.

As soon as he left, all Serena's pokémon shot up and gave her a questioning look.

"What?"

Ash walked down the halls with a huge smile on his face. He opened his room door and all his pokémon noticed this.

"_What happened Ash?_" Blaze asked.

"Oh nothing," Ash said as he fell happily on the bed and Dratini crawled up to his belly to rest. "You just asked Serena to go with me to the Banquet this evening."

As he said this, all his pokémon had shocked looks on their faces, before they burst out into laughter. They were not laughing at Ash. They were merely happy because Ash had asked Serena out on a somewhat date.

"_Oh Ash,_" Blaze said as he walked up to his trainer.

"_We have to make preparations for the evening,_" Eevee announced.

"_You think those two are going to go together?_" Blaze asked.

"For sure. Gary knows that if he doesn't go with her, Leaf is going to make his life a living hell."

**Later that Evening**

It was twenty minutes past seven in the evening. Ash had groomed all his pokémon and had applied on them their various lotions and had given them berries to eat for the night. It was now time for him to prepare for the Banquet. He got into the shower and washed away the sweat and aches from before. After getting out, he brushed his teeth and then stepped out of the bathroom. He looked at the beautiful tux hanging in the wall, but as he was about to take it, Eevee stopped him.

"What Eevee?"

"_You can't go to the Banquet with your hair all messy_."

"Huh!"

"_Into the bathroom you go,_" she said as she pushed him.

She forced him to apply gel to his hair and she watched him comb it until it was okay. It was still spiky but not messy.

"_Now isn't that better?_"

He looked at his self in the mirror and was pleased with the results. "It kinda is," he responded.

"_Now you can wear your suit._"

Ash was fully ready by seven forty-five. He looked at his self once again in the huge mirror by the table at the corner of his bed. He looked good in the nice, black tux. He smiled and turned to his pokémon.

"So how do I look?"

They all gave their approval, but what he wasn't expecting was Eevee walking over to him and requesting to go with him. He accepted. After placing Blaze in charge and Cleffa in charge of Dratini who has agreed to go by the name Emerald due to the color of her scales as a Dragonite, he left the room.

He looked for the direction to the Dining Hall with Eevee beside him. He was later joined by Paul and Gary who were also dressed in a similar tux with him. Gary was with Flaaffy and Paul was with his Teddiursa. He asked them who they had asked to go with them. Gary said he had asked Leaf, and Paul said he had asked a childhood friend of his who was also aboard the St. Anne. When asked , he said he had asked Serena. They reached the huge hall and we're not surprised at the size. They were used to it by now. Huge, bright chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Long dining tables covered in white cloth, surrounded by beautiful chairs were in front of them. On the tables was a meal fit for Kings. The amount of food present was shocking. Many guests had already taken their seats and had begun eating.

The boys had already chosen seats and their pokémon by their sides. A girl with blue hair approached them shortly.

"Hey Paul," she called out.

"Dawn," Paul said as he went to meet her. "Glad you could make it."

"Of course I'll make it. It was a request from dear Pauly," she said with a bright smile.

"It's not like that," Paul said. "I asked you because I'd feel awkward if I was one of the few that didn't have a date."

"Classic Paul," she said before noticing Ash and Gary. "Hi, I'm Dawn."

"Hi. The name's Ash," Ash said as he shook her.

"And I'm Gary. Pleasure to meet you," Gary said as he also shook her.

"The pleasure is mine. So are you guys friends of Paul?"

"They're friends and also rivals. Ash's and Gary's strength impress me. I know you're supposed to love pokémon, but I hate it when guys preach that and forget about grooming his pokémon. It's sick and a waste of a pokémon's potential."

"It's okay Paul," Dawn said, stopping him. "Let's seat down before you rant about pokémon the entire night."

They all sat down while they waited for Leaf, Misty and Serena to arrive. It didn't take long before they heard a voice.

"Sorry we're late," Leaf said.

Ash and Gary turned to look at them. Their jaws dropped as they saw their respective dates. (I apologise, I'm not going to describe their dress. Just imagine how ten year olds would be in dinner gowns.)

The girls joined them and Misty dragged someone along. His name was Trip and he was the one who asked her out. He was from the Unova region and was also cousin to one of the Elite Four of Unova, Marshall the fighting type master. They all got acquainted with each other. Trip was also a pokémon trainer aiming for league glory. Dawn was also a pokémon coordinator like Serena. After getting acquainted with each other, Ash launched the dinner. They had been eating for a couple of minutes when the Captain took the stage.

"Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen. I'm your Captain. Captain Jones. It's a pleasure to see all of you here. Is everyone enjoying their meal?"

A clamor if cheers filled the room. "That's good to hear. I know many of you are wondering about the major activity on the St. Anne, the Pokémon Tournament."

Once again, everyone chorused in agreement. He looked at their faces and noticed that they were all focused on him. "The Tournament will begin tomorrow by eleven in the morning. Registration starts by eight in the morning. The battles would be held at the front deck. All those interested should go there to register. The tournament would last four days. The first two days would be preliminaries that would leave us with eight trainers. The next day would be the quarter final and semifinal matches. The last day would be the final and the award ceremony night which would be the fifth day of our travel."

"I know you're all wondering about the prizes for the top eight. It seems that the league is more evolved this year in the Pokémon Tournament than other years. The bottom four would each get twenty full restores and four TM vouchers to be redeemed anywhere. The top four would each get a pokémon. There would be seven rare pokémon from each of the regions. They would have to choose and whichever one they choose becomes their pokémon. In addition to that, Fourth place wins five Great balls. Third place wins eight Great balls. Second place wins four Ultra balls along with one of every evolutionary item. And first place gets four Ultra balls and a direct entry into the Indigo league next year."

Gasps filled the entire hall. The idea of choosing one of seven pokémon from each region was already great enough, but a direct entry into the Indigo league was amazing. Ash knew what was running through their minds. Each of them wanted to win this and get a shot of choosing a rare pokémon.

"The battle format for the preliminaries is going to be one-on-one battle type. The second stage of the preliminaries is going to be a double battle format. The quarterfinals and semifinals is going to be a three-on-three battles, and the finals is going to be six versus six format. That is all. Enjoy the Banquet." And with that, he left.

Claps and cheers filled the Hall as Jones left, to go back to the wheel house.

"While I don't care about the direct entry. I do care about the possibility of me getting a powerful pokémon," Ash said. "Sorry guys but I'm going to win this."

And with that a nice peaceful dinner turned into an argument. Who was going to win the Tournament. The Banquet was nice and they all ate to their fill. After eating, they each went to do something with their respective dates. Ash took Serena to the souvenir shop were he bought her a water crystal necklace and a miniature model of the St. Anne.

They later went to the Arcade and had a fun time playing various games like Temple of Arceus, Charizard run and the rest. After the fun evening, he said goodbye to Serena and went back to his room with Eevee. By the time he reached, all his pokémon were already fast asleep. Dratini had curled up around Cleffa on one side of the bed. He was also exhausted. He took of his tuxedo and fell on his bed, dozing off almost immediately as his head hit the bed.

The next morning, they were all waiting at the battlefield. They had already registered and had fed their pokémon. Sixty four contestants had registered for the tournament. Those who did not register had to watch behind the protection of the psychic barriers that also reinforced the floor. The work was done by six Alakazam. All the trainers were waiting in anticipation for the first battle.

"Testing," a voice said from the speakers. "Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to the St. Anne Pokémon Tournament. These confident contestants all have a feeling that luck would be on their side and that they would win the tournament. It's a beautiful day to begin the preliminaries which would last for two days. Without further delay, let's start with the first battle for the day."

She paused as a screen randomly matched names.

"First off is Misty Waterflower and Aaron Gabble."

Both of them made their way to the field, with the Alakazam opening the barrier for them to enter. "This is a two on two battle between Misty Waterflower and Aaron Gabble. There are no substitutions and the battle would be over when both pokémon from one side are unable to battle. The red side has the first choice. Begin."

Aaron was red so he had the first choice. Aaron threw a pokéball into the air as he released his first pokémon, Sneasel. Misty countered by releasing her female Poliwhirl.

"Sneasel hone claws."

Sneasel brandished his claws together as it glowed red, raising its attack power. "Now shadow ball."

Sneasel placed its hands in front of it as it charged and fired a shadow ball at Poliwhirl.

"Dodge and use water gun."

Poliwhirl avoided the attack as it shot a jet of water at Sneasel.

"Dodge it and use feint attack."

Sneasel slowly faded into the darkness and made its way to Poliwhirl. Misty was aware that feint attack never missed.

"Poliwhirl take it and use brick break."

Poliwhirl nodded as her hand glowed. She waited patiently for Sneasel to strike, and when it did, she countered back. The brick break attack sent Sneasel flying into the psychic barriers as it was very very effective.

"Sneasel! That was a dirty trick," the boy said.

"Says the one who used feint attack. You can dish it out but you can't take it," Misty retorted. "Poliwhirl, focus punch."

Poliwhirl's hands glowed a blueish white. She lunged at Sneasel and gave it a roundhouse kick before punching it back to its trainer.

"Sneasel get up! I command you."

"This looks sad. Poliwhirl end this. Body slam."

Poliwhirl flexed her legs before jumping high into the air. Reaching her maximum height. She spread her hands and feet and slammed into Sneasel, knocking it out, before jumping back to Misty.

"Sneasel is down for the count," Diane the announcer exclaimed. "Which means that Misty moves on to the second one-on-one battle for today. Congrats Misty."

Misty celebrated before telling Poliwhirl to blow bubbles at the audience, resulting in an awe. Aaron returned his pokémon and stomped off the field. Misty went back to the gang, happy that she was in the next round. They congratulated her and waited for the next battles to pass by.

"It's time for our next battle," Diane announced. "This battle will be between Paul Shinji and Catherine."

Paul smiled as he heard his name and made his way over to the field. Catherine too made her way to the field. Paul was the red trainer, meaning that he had the first move.

"Sandslash, standby for battle," he said as he tossed a pokéball, releasing his Sandslash.

"Come out, Pinsir."

"Sandslash vs. Pinsir, begin."

"Sandslash, rock tomb."

Sandslash slammed his hands on the ground as he summoned rocks and sent them flying at Pinsir in hopes of burying it.

"Pinsir, dodge and use brutal swing."

Pinsir avoided all the falling rocks as it charged Sandslash.

"Counter with metal claw."

Sandslash's claws attained a metallic sheen as it slashed them at Pinsir's horns, resulting in a stalemate.

"Fling," Catherine ordered.

Pinsir grabbed a hold of Sandslash and tossed him into the psychic barriers.

"Focus punch."

Pinsir's hand glowed white. It hurriedly charged at Sandslash.

"Rock slide."

Sandslash slammed his hands on the deck causing rocks to fall from the sky and hit Pinsir.

"Sandslash, use those rocks for a stone edge attack."

Sandslash's eyes glowed white for a second as he slammed his hand on the deck, causing the rocks to form two rings around him. The outer ring had four rocks while the inner one had five rocks. He sent them at Pinsir, slamming into it and dealing severe damage.

"End this Sandslash."

Catherine was busy yelling for her pokémon to get up but Pinsir was battered and bruised from that close range rock slide and stone edge attacks.

"Rock tomb!" Paul yelled.

Sandslash slammed his hand on the deck once again (This slamming of hands on the deck is starting to sound like Doton: doryui hekhi from Naruto.) The rocks on the deck were soon sent flying at Pinsir.

"Pinsir no!"

It was too late. The first rock hit its legs, the second hit its horns, before the rest completely buried it.

"Sandslash," Paul said.

The Mouse pokémon nodded as it slammed his hands once more, lifting the stones from Pinsir's fallen body. It was clear to everyone that Pinsir was knocked out.

"Wow! Sandslash clearly is a formidable force in this tournament. His trainer also looks like he has everything planned. And with that," Diane said. "Catherine is out of the tournament and Paul has advanced to the next round."

Cheers filled the air as she said this. The Alakazam opened the psychic barriers for Paul and Catherine to come out. As Paul came out, they congratulated him on his amazing win. They waited a couple more battles before Diane announced again.

"Hope you all aren't bored. This next match is going to be between Gary Oak and Jake Black. With Gary in the red corner and Jake in the blue corner."

Gary and Jack got up from their seats as they took their respective spots on the battlefield.

"Alright. Let's do this Nidorino," Gary said as he tossed Nidorino's friend ball into the air, releasing him.

"You're mine kid. Go Primeape," Jake said as he released a Primeape.

"This is going to be an awesome battle," Diane said as she watched Nidorino and Primeape face off. "Nidorino vs. Primeape, begin."

Without missing the beat, Gary gave the first attack. "Double team and poison sting."

Nidorino created copies of himself as they surrounded Primeape and began launching poison stings.

"Protect."

Primeape brought forth his hands and erected the green barrier, completely blocking all poison stings from touching it.

"Now, ice punch."

Primeape's hands soon became like ice as it ran at Nidorino.

"Thunderbolt!"

Nidorino sparked up as he shot a powerful bolt of lightning from his horn at an incoming Primeape. The thunderbolt crashed into Primeape and sent him flying back from the super-effective hit. Primeape hit the ground hard.

"Double team. Surround Primeape."

Nidorino created copies of himself. All of them charged Primeape as he started to getting to his feet.

"Primeape, use earthquake."

Primeape slammed both of his hands on the deck while at the same time jumping up. The entire deck shook, but the Alakazam prevented the deck from getting wrecked.

"Dodge with drill run."

Nidorino jumped up to avoid the earthquake attack before all his copies slammed into Primeape, dealing damage to it. The contact with Nidorino had poisoned Primeape as seen by the purple glow on its body.

"Nidorino thunderbolt."

From a point-blank range, Nidorino shot a bolt of lightning at Primeape. The attack electrocuted Primeape hard.

"Let's end this. Venoshock."

Nidorino jumped backwards as it shot a huge blob of poison at Primeape. The attack hit Primeape in and explosion of purple goo and did double damage due to its poisoned status. After the attack cleared, it was engulfed in a purple glow as poison kicked in again. Primeape fainted.

"Pulling off an amazing win after performing that drill run and avoiding earthquake, Nidorino has emerged the winner. That means Jack is out of the tournament and Gary is going on to the next round," Diane announced and cheers and claps filled the air.

Gary and Jack exited the Battlefield and made their way to their respective areas. A couple of matches after that, and it was another battle.

"Welcome again, to another exciting battle. This match is going to be between Leaf Green and Daniel White. Daniel is the red trainer. Proceed to the battlefield."

Leaf and Daniel took their spots on the battlefield.

"You're gonna regret been paired up with me. Come on out Graveler."

Daniel tossed a pokéball into the air and released a Graveler.

"You're dead," Leaf announced.

Everyone flinched at the tone she said this. She tossed her friend ball into the air. Out of her pokéball came a fairly large Cloyster.

"_Ster_," it said as it came out of its ball.

"She has a Cloyster? How's that possible?"

"Guess everyone has secrets," Paul said, prompting them to look at each other.

**At the Battlefield**

"Cloyster vs. Graveler begin."

"Hammer arm."

Graveler's arm glowed as it ran at Cloyster.

"Hydro pump."

Cloyster opened its mouth and shot a powerful jet of water, bigger than that of water gun. The powerful water slammed into Graveler and sent it flying behind Daniel and into the psychic barrier.

"That's Leaf for you," Gary said.

"Yeah. Brutal fighting style for a goodhearted girl. Kind of ironic."

**At the Battlefield**

Graveler was completely drenched by the attack.

"Oh my Arceus!" Daniel exclaimed.

"You need to be observant while battling, if not you'll end up hurting your pokémon," Leaf said with a cheerful face. "Cloyster let's wrap this up."

"_Cloy_."

"Cloyster use shell smash and end this with frost breath."

Cloyster activated the move and glowed red, raising his attack, special attack and speed, while also dropping its defense and special defense. He opened his mouth and shot an icy breath from its mouth. The attack froze Graveler upon impact and due to the fact that frost breath always ends in a critical hit, it was very bad for Graveler. It was knocked out without even launching a single attack.

"Graveler is down as Leaf has shattered Daniel's dream of winning the tournament. Therefore she advances to the next round."

Everyone cheered for the speedy battle that just occurred. It was clear to everyone that Daniel probably bought a ticket for the St. Anne and hasn't properly trained his pokémon.

"When did you get a Cloyster?" Gary asked as she left the battlefield to meet them.

"Well it was some days back. He came and attacked us when we were training. He was able to prove himself a strong pokémon by giving Saur a hard time."

"Really? He gave Saur a hard time?" Ash asked.

"Yeah. After the battle, Saur was exhausted."

They talked for some time before Serena was called for her match. She was facing off against a girl named Rose. Serena was on the red side and she had the first choice.

"Come out, Pancham."

Out of Serena's pokéball came her Pancham.

Rose quietly released a Persian.

"Serena has the type advantage," Misty announced.

"Yeah, but that Persian is not your average Persian. Look how big it is and how shiny its gem is. Serena's going to need strategy to beat that thing," Ash said.

**Back at the Battlefield**

"Pancham vs. Persian begin.

"Leer."

"Water pulse."

Before Pancham could leer at Persian, the normal type had launched a water pulse that hit Pancham in the face.

"Aerial ace."

Persian shot forward with glowing white head. It slammed into Pancham, dealing a great amount of damage.

"Pancham! Thank goodness," Serena said as she saw Pancham get up. Training with all those flying types must have paid off.

"Persian, shadow ball."

"Foul play and send it back."

Persian fired the ball of ghostly energy at Pancham, but he sent it back with foul play. The shadow ball coupled with foul play hit Persian, giving Serena the opening she needed.

"Storm throw," Serena called.

Pancham ran at Persian and picked it up by its tail, before tossing it into the air and letting it crash on the ground.

_'It's worth a shot to end this battle.' _"Use roar."

Pancham mustered up a deep voice and gave a big battle roar. As Persian heard the roar, it was engulfed in a red light and was sent into its pokéball. Ash smiled while the rest of the crowd were dumbfounded.

"Pulling off a shocking and surprising victory is Serena who will move on to the next round," Diane said, understanding what had happened.

The move roar was a move that is used to make wild pokémon flee or to force a trainer to substitute his pokémon. Once a pokémon hears a roar from another equal or above it in a certain way, it reacts with its pokéball and backs down, retreating to its pokéball for another pokémon to take the stage. But, in a one-on-one battle, that's a loss on the side of the opposition. It is a sign of backing down.

"Way to go Serena," Leaf said as she approached them.

They ended up waiting until the final battle before Ash was called. His opponent was a girl and she was on the red side. Ash watched her take a pokéball and release a Xatu. Ash recognized the flying and psychic type. Xatu were not very powerful, but their teleportation was a pain in the neck. Ash took a deep breath as he released Tyrunt. If he was not mistaken, this was the first official battle he was using Tyrunt.

Ash wasn't dumb. He knew she was going to rely on Xatu's teleportation ability, and that's why he chose Tyrunt. The dragon type was the only one apart from Blaze who could sense opponents and Ash had especially honed this with Gary and his Abra, now a Kadabra. That girl was in trouble. Diane gave the signal for the match to begin.

Ash smirked slightly at Xatu's fallen body while the girl stood there in shock. Using Tyrunt's sense of smell, they were able to pull through. The girl had ordered Xatu to use teleport right from the beginning and then use night slash. That was a big mistake. Ash let Xatu draw close to Tyrunt and land a hit, but it also allowed Tyrunt to get a whiff of Xatu's scent. After four rock polish moves, Ash began to battle. Xatu teleported once more and before it could use ominous wind, it was hit with a dark pulse from Tyrunt and knocked out of the sky. Ash quickly followed up with a bite attack and ended the battle with stone edge. Moves he and Tyrunt had practiced. Tyrunt's stone edge was not perfect, but it did its work, and thanks to Kings Species, the battle was easy.

The first rounds were over and they were given a thirty minute break, after which, all trainers were to return to the field. Trip and Dawn had also won their battle. They all went to have lunch and after their thirty minutes were up, they went back up to the deck.

"Welcome to the second round of the first stage preliminaries. These thirty-two trainers have proved their worth and told us that they deserve to be here. So put your hands together for them."

Cheers once again filled the deck as they praised the trainers that made it to the second round.

"Now let's begin the second round. The first two trainers squaring of will be..."

None of them were called until the tenth battle. It was Paul against a boy. His name was Clinton. The two of them were currently facing each other in the field. Paul was the red trainer. He drew a deep breath before tossing his ball into the air. Teddiursa was the one who came out of her pokéball. The boy smiled before releasing a Hitmonlee. Diane gave the signal for the battle to commence.

"Teddiursa ice punch."

"Hitmonlee, jump kick."

Teddiursa's right hand became like ice as it ran at Hitmonlee only to notice Hitmonlee coming quickly with a jump kick. Teddiursa swerved right to dodge, with Hitmonlee's attack narrowly missing her. It was fast.

"Hitmonlee mega kick."

Hitmonlee's feet glowed white as it kicked Teddiursa and sent her flying.

"Teddiursa!" Paul yelled.

"Hitmonlee, high jump kick."

Hitmonlee responded by jumping into the air and coming down with its knee towards Teddiursa. Teddiursa dodged the attack, letting Hitmonlee take the recoil damage. Her hands glowed white as she swiped them along Hitmonlee's back. It was cross chop. Hitmonlee was sent rolling across the floor.

"Thunder punch."

"Revenge."

Hitmonlee got up in a red glow just as Teddiursa's hand had sparked up. It charged Teddiursa but Paul was ready for it. He ordered Teddiursa to use protect and she was able to erect the green barrier just in time. Hitmonlee slammed into the barrier and revenge was cancelled. Teddiursa dropped the barrier as she gave an uppercut to Teddiursa using thunder punch. Hitmonlee was launched into the air and down with great force.

"_Lee_," Hitmonlee said as it hit the ground.

"Teddiursa, use yawn."

Teddiursa opened its mouth and yawned. As the sound reached Hitmonlee, while it was starting to get up, it started feeling drowsy. It soon fell to the ground asleep. Clinton frantically yelled for Hitmonlee to wake up, but it was at the mercy of Paul and Teddiursa.

"Teddiursa thunder punch, back to back."

Teddiursa's hands sparked up as it began punching Hitmonlee over and over again. After four hits, Hitmonlee woke up, battered and bruised.

"Hitmonlee rolling kick."

"Gunk shot, aim for its eyes."

Before Hitmonlee could move, He was hit in the face with gunk shot, dealing super-effective damage and covering Hitmonlee's eyes.

"Hitmonlee," Clinton yelled as Hitmonlee struggled to remove it from its eyes.

"Teddiursa, let's end this. Double Thunder punch."

Teddiursa held both her hands in front before drawing them back, charging her thunder punch ( just like Hinata's Gentle step, twin lion fists in Naruto). As both her hands sparked up, she ran at Hitmonlee, before spearing it with both fists, sending it flying until it hit the barrier, never to get up again.

Cheers filled the air as Teddiursa got up and walked back to Paul.

"What a surprise? When the battle started, it seemed like nothing was going Paul's way but he pulled through with surprise moves and has knocked Clinton out of the tournament, and he has advanced to the Second Stage of the Preliminaries tomorrow," Diane said and everyone cheered once again.

Paul returned Teddiursa he was going to get one of those pokémon and win it all. A couple of matches passed and it was Ash's turn. He was facing an elderly man that went by the name Morty. The man was on the red side and he had already released a pokémon. It was a Houndoom. Ash smiled, he had the perfect counter to Houndoom. He released Clefairy. As Diane have the signal for the battle to begin, Morty began.

"Houndoom, use inferno."

Houndoom quickly unleashed the roaring torrent of flames at Clefairy.

"Protect."

Clefairy extended her arms as she erected the green barrier. The barrier was able to hold up the flames from getting to her. As the attack ended, Morty began.

"Iron tail."

"Dodge amd focus punch."

Houndoom's tail attained a metallic sheen as it came upon Clefairy. It swiped its tail at her, but she dodged and gave it a focus punch to the belly, launching it back. Houndoom hit the ground but it got up.

"Houndoom, thunder fang."

Houndoom's maw sparked up with electricity as it ran at Clefairy. Ash ordered her to use signal beam, but Houndoom dodged it and sanked its teeth into her flesh. It picked her up and began shaking her like a rag doll, dealing an incredible amount of damage. Ash was in a tight spot, Clefairy's defense wasn't all that great. He decided to go with the only move that had a chance of getting her out that hold.

"Metronome."

Clefairy tried her best to execute metronome, but it turned into a psychic attack that had no effect on Houndoom.

"Fire fang."

Houndoom's thunder fang changed into a fire fang as Morty was insistent on burning Clefairy. Houndoom continued to shake Clefairy with great force until Ash called out another metronome. Lucky for Ash, the metronome turned into aqua jet, forcing Houndoom to let go. Ash could clearly see the blood on Clefairy's neck and the burn marks also. Houndoom's attack had drawn blood. As Houndoom let go, it froze in its tracks.

"Houndoom flamethrower."

It didn't move.

"What's going on with Houndoom?" Diane said, drawing everyone's attention back to the battle.

Taking a closer look, Ash understood it. Houndoom had been affected by Clefairy's cute charm ability. He was currently infatuated with her and won't attack her for any reason. Ash knew this was his moment to make a comeback.

"Focus punch."

Clefairy ran at Houndoom before slamming her fist into its face, and sending it to the ground. Houndoom got up but was still affected by cute charm. "Work up and them disarming voice."

Clefairy used work up as she increased both her attack and special attack stats. She sang loudly as she used disarming voice to knock Houndoom to the ground.

"Houndoom get yourself together."

"Into the air. Water pulse followed by drain punch."

Clefairy jumped towards Houndoom before blasting him with a water pulse, causing an explosion of water. She landed atop Houndoom as she used drain punch, draining Houndoom's energy and taking it into her self. Houndoom slowly tried to get up, but Ash ordered her to use sing. She sang so beautifully that Houndoom slept off. She continued her drain pulse assault into Houndoom passed out.

Everyone in the deck was quiet. And then they burst into cheers at the way the battle ended.

"And just like that folks. Ash has secured his place in the second stage preliminaries. Using his wit and with luck on his side, he has prevailed against Morty and his Houndoom."

Ash hugged Clefairy as he thanked Morty for the awesome battle. The next battles came pretty quickly.

Serena had faced off against a girl named Mary. Mary had sent out a Pinsir while Serena had sent out Clefable. The battle was pretty close, but Serena made it in the end through a critical metronome flamethrower, earning her place in the second stage of the Preliminaries.

Misty had been paired with a boy. His name was Scott and he had sent out a Fearow. Misty was able to bring it down through a clever usage of hypnosis and ice attacks, earning her place in the second stage of the Preliminaries.

Leaf also won her battle against this guy named Tyler. He was pretty cocky and Leaf took advantage of this using her brutal fighting style. The boy I question had released a Vileplume. Leaf had used her Slugma. Increasing the intensity of the sun through sunny day, Leaf had Slugma push Vileplume to a corner with fire moves like ember, incinerate and flame burst, before attacking with intensity using flamethrower and fire blast. The only chances she gave the opposition to attack was with a solar beam which she extinguished with fire blast and a venoshock which hit Slugma. Leaf was happy. She had secured her place in the top sixteen.

Gary had also won his match. His opponent was a boy that looked to be in his teens. The kid had countered Gary's Growlithe with an Ampharos. Thanks to the Kings Species gene in Growlithe, he was able to win the battle by defending with weak fire moves like ember and flame wheel and fire spin, and them attacking with fire blast, flamethrower and ending the match with a flare blitz to counter Ampharos' wild charge. Flare blitz had prevailed in the end and knocked Ampharos out earning Gary the win.

Dawn had also won, using a pokémon she called Bibarel. Trip had also won his battle with a Mankey.

"And that's it for the second round of the first stage preliminaries," Diane said and everyone cheered. "We are now down to sixteen trainers and they are going to face off against each other tomorrow. The battles will be double battles as said earlier and will commence by twelve o'clock. That is all." And she left.

By the time all the battles were over, it was almost time for dinner. Ash and the gang made their way back to their various rooms and freshened up, before heading to the Dinner Hall. Dinner was quick because each of them wanted to run over their strategies before tomorrow. And Ash was sure that Paul and Gary might have it in mind to go and pick one of the training rooms aboard the great ship. After dinner, Ash went to the cafeteria and got food for each of his pokémon.

He entered his room with a huge bag containing their food. It was a good thing that they were all free. He dropped the bag as he released each of them. They came out, all ready to here how they did in the preliminaries, but first food. Ash laid out twelve bowls and poured pokémon food into it, and then sprinkled the carbos powder on it. He mixed it and served it for each of them. The food also seemed to be far more delicious than the occasional one they usually had, if the look on Blaze's face had anything to say about it. Ash knew Blaze loved food as much as he did, so he brought extras just in case.

"So guys. I know you want to here the outcome of the preliminaries today."

They all nodded.

"Well, we made it to the second stage of the preliminaries, thanks to Tyrunt and Clefairy."

His team cheered, each in their own way. Blaze snorted smoke from his mouth. Like Ash, he was largely extroverted. He usually spat flames into the sky, but he didn't want to risk burning the room. Psyduck danced about. He was more of a "I can't afford to lose" kind of guy. Volt twirled his arms as his antenna sparked. He was a born prankster and had a mischievous and secret nature. Butterfree and Beedrill both took the news by flying around each other in a calm way. Scizor smiled. He was the calmest out of all the pokémon, but even he can get battle hungry and insane. Clefairy giggled while Tyrunt roared. He was more of a general than a pokémon as shown when he addresses some of them. Eevee simply puffed up her chest in pride. She sees herself as royalty even though she is not, and likes everything to be as it is meant to be, perfect. Ivysaur was a peacemaker by heart so he just waved his vines in the air. Wartortle celebrated by spinning in his back. He was a boss by nature. Ash had noticed that he had already taken Psyduck under his wing.

None of his pokémon were normal, and he knew it. But that was how he liked them. As for Emerald, he didn't know anything about her, but she seemed to have warmed up to him as she was currently in his arms, feeding. After they had finished eating, they rested for sometime. After their little rest, Ash called Butterfree, Beedrill, Eevee and Volt with him, while the rest stayed back. He placed Clefairy in charge of Emerald and Blaze in charge of all of them.

He took the others to the training part of the ship and booked a room for a thousand pokédollars. After payment, he was given the key to one of the rooms. He opened the room and turned on the lights. The area was pretty big. The floor was wood, but it was very strong. He saw a command center for the room and saw targets. _'I need to do this at home.' _

He released them from their confines and explained to them why they were here. After they understood, they began their training session.

**The Next Morning**

They had had quite an awesome training session the previous night, and Ash was ready for the day. All sixteen trainers were waiting for Diane to arrive and begin the battles for the day.

**Meanwhile In an Unknown Location**

It was pitch black, until a single light turned on, illuminating the area just enough for you to see, the faces of those present with you. Seated on a table was Team Rocket Commander, Proton. There was another seated with him.

"Archer!" Proton called the other man.

"Yes Proton."

"Pierce is late and I have training to conduct with the grunts. If he doesn't come in the next five minutes, I'm leaving."

"Patience, Proton. I'm already here," a man said as he approached the table.

"Pierce," Archer said.

"You're late. And why did you call for this meeting?" Proton asked, feeling slightly irritated.

"It's for the next big thing, and the boss asked me to make plans with you guys."

On hearing the boss been mentioned, Proton calmed down a little. "And what would that be?" Archer asked.

"Well you both know about the St. Anne, right?" On seeing them nod, he proceeded. "As you all know, the St. Anne is sponsored by the Pokémon League. And from our sources, this year, the league is more involved in it than the rest. Currently aboard that ship are seven rare pokémon, one from each region. Also aboard are dozens of trainers, each crawling with pokémon in their pockets. And also, there are a lot of valuable items aboard that ship, because it is the Grandest Ship to set sail."

"So what does the boss want us to do?" Archer asked.

"Raid it," Pierce said with a sinister smile. "Collect as many pokémon as possible. Kill any oppositions and destroy the ship. Doing so will cause a major loss to the league."

"This plan isn't all that grand," Proton said. "And besides, the Pokémon master and Champion of Kanto will just come and stop us."

"No they won't. Both of them are in Alola for research purposes, alongside Bruno and Fuschia of the Elite Four. Lorelei is back at home in the Orange Archipelago, and only Agatha is present. Plus, to interest you, a certain someone you would like to meet is aboard that ship."

"Who?"

"Ash Satoshi Ketchum, the son of the Master himself." Proton perked up with interest as he heard those words. He smiled a devious plan as he agreed to the plan alongside Archer. "I assume you have plans for him?"

"Yes. And how are we going to pull this off?" Archer asked.

"Leave that to me. Are the rage devices ready yet?"

"Yes they are," Archer responded.

"Then in a few days, we raid the St. Anne. It is going to take time to prepare the necessary things for this to happen. Until then we're dismissed."

Proton got up from his chair. He hadn't forgotten the kid who fouled their plans in Mt. Moon or delayed the Project END. He had plans and they were going to happen. He burst into a growing evil laughter.

**That's it for this chapter. Thank you all for reading. I hope you all liked the design of the St. Anne. You know when you read, your brain transports you to that world. The same thing happens when I write, and from what I saw I liked it. I think the pool party was expected. The Banquet was a something that occurred to me to write about. The tournament was always expected. I didn't like the way the anime did the St. Anne, a luxury cruise ship. I decided to have it done this way. I hope you all liked the battle scenes I wrote. Dawn is now finally in the story and I know some of you know why that happened (Here's a hint, it's Paul). They've all made it to the second stage of the preliminaries. But, itseems someone's cooking up a disaster plan and it seems they have an interest in Ash. How will the St. Anne be destroyed? You'll just have to wait and see in the next chapter or the one after that. What will be the position of each of them in the tournament? You're free to guess. That's about all I can reveal. I'm still contemplating on ending the St. Anne arc in the next chapter or the one after. I'm sure it will come to me. But, expect it to be exciting and brutal at the same time. Team Rocket us no joke after all. I almost forgot, the Team Rocket trio will make an appearance in the next chapter. That's it, until then don't forget to Read and Review, and also don't be shy to give your opinions. Until then, I remain draconian216, sayonara.**


	12. Team Rocket's Attack

**Hey guys, draconian216 here with the eleventh chapter. Before I start anything, I have to apologise. The fight scenes for the second stage preliminaries, quarter and semifinals would be summarized. Please bare with me. I had already written the fight scenes, but my phone was formatted, and documents I thought I had backed up were all gone. I'm starting from scratch to rewrite this chapter. I can't rewrite the fight scenes because to me, it would be like a second rate work, the attacks would be a bit different and it might even look stupid so, I'll just have to summarize it. Please forgive me. In case you didn't like this, you can either PM me or write it as a review. Thank you. Now some reviews.**

**\- Amourshipper35:**

**I'm glad you liked the battles. And if you liked them, then you'll like the battles in this chapter. As for the dinner, it was something I thought of and decided to add it to the chapter. Glad you liked it.**

**\- Bloody Rogue dragon deity king:**

**Thanks for the review. Glad you liked it. Looking forward to more reviews.**

**\- Guest:**

**Thanks for your review man. Like I said, I'll do best to make this fanfic great. You guys just keep looking forward and keep up the good reviews.**

**That's about it. Before I get on with this, Shadoath, I think I have an answer to your review and you might just find this chapter interesting. Lots of things happen in this chapter. The second stage of the preliminaries, quarterfinals and semifinals happen in this chapter. The St. Anne tournament comes to an end in this chapter with the awesome six-on-six battle between Ash and Trip. (Oops. Already revealed too much. Thank God I didn't reveal who wins the battle). Team Rocket attacks the St. Anne in an attempt to deal a devastating blow to the league. I think that's about all I can summarize for this chapter.**

**If you are lost concerning the pokémon and their trainers ( I think that should be the other way around), you can go ahead to my profile, draconian216. I have a complete list, but I think missed some little details. If you notice any, please tell me. Without further ado, chapter 11.**

_**Chapter 11: Team Rocket's Attack**_

It was a beautiful day and they were all outside waiting for the second stage preliminaries to kick off. Soon Diane arrived and she apologized for her lateness in coming. She took her spot and called the names of the first trainers. It was Ash and a girl named Alexis

Ash and Alexis took their spots on the battlefield. Alexis was the one on the red side. She released a Flareon and a Vaporeon. Ash countered by sending Butterfree and Beedrill. Diane gave the signal for the battlefield to begin. Alexis went in with an all out attack against. Ash just gave Butterfree and Beedrill orders to avoid and strike quickly alternating between each other. Alexis was able to land some hits here and there. Ash was able to draw out the battlefield and take out Alexis in the end, by poisoning both her pokémon and attacking them with venoshock, securing his place in the quarterfinals.

Next was Gary. He had defeated his opponent quickly using Growlithe and Kadabra. His strategy was to have Growlithe attack while Kadabra flanked him, protecting him from attacks while also doing damage of her own. In the end, Gary had won with a powerful fire blast that took out their opponents Magneton, and a psychic blast that knocked out her Arbok.

The next match was between Leaf and a guy. He looked to be a bit older than ten, suggesting that he was eleven or so. His name was Daniel and he was in the red corner. He released a Wigglytuff and an Azumarill. Leaf countered by sending out Fearow and Pinsir to face them. Not long into the match and Leaf had already placed Daniel on the defensive. She assaulted his pokémon by having Fearow use aerial ace, steel wing and drill run, while Pinsir assaulted them with fighting moves like vital throw, revenge and seismic toss. Her relentless assault made a way as Fearow simultaneously slammed into Azumarill and Wigglytuff. Leaf had ended up winning her match.

The fourth match was between James of the Team Rocket trio and Paul. He and Jessie had also made the St. Anne. Ash, Gary and Leaf were a bit surprised to see them, but they were glad that they made it. But sadly enough, James was facing Paul. Ash had doubts that Paul would go easy because Ash knew him. Paul was a pure battler. Diane gave the signal and James released a Meowth and an Arcanine. Paul countered with Sandslash and Fearow. Paul started the match fairly neutral, before sending in Sandslash against Arcanine and Fearow against Meowth. Sandslash knocked out Arcanine with a stone edge and Earth power. Both he and Fearow turned towards Meowth and assaulted the normal type. Meowth put up quite a fight and was able to knock out Fearow with an iron tail to the beak. Driving her head into the deck. The celebration was short-lived. Sandslash gave Meowth a powerful brick break to the head before burying him with rock tomb. James happily returned Meowth as he thanked Paul for the match. Paul acknowledged James as a good battler. He also thanked James for the battle as they both left the field shaking hands.

The fifth match pitted Misty against Jessie of the Team Rocket trio. Both ladies were hell bent on winning. Misty was in the red side and she released both her Poliwhirl. Jessie released her Fearow and a Beedrill. Diane gave them the signal and they both began. Misty ordered both her Poliwhirl to get in close to Beedrill and Fearow. Understanding what Misty was planning, Jessie ordered her pokémon to keep them away. The battlefield drawled on for long with Misty trying to get close to Jessie and Jessie pushing Misty away. Misty got tired and ordered the Male Poliwhirl to launch the female at Beedrill. She nailed Beedrill with an ice punch, while the Male ran to her aid with protect. The female Poliwhirl took out Beedrill with an icy wind attack. After defeating Beedrill, Misty had them attack Fearow with ice beam which allowed her to win the match and earn her a place in the quarterfinals.

The sixth match was between Serena and a girl, Persephone. Persephone was on the red side and wasted no time releasing a Pikachu and a Golbat. Serena countered by releasing Clefable and Charmeleon. As soon as Diane gave the signal to begin the battle, Pikachu and Golbat shot off, and began to flank Clefable and Charmeleon. It didn't take long before Pikachu launched a thunderbolt at them. Charmeleon had used protect to prevent the electric attack reaching them. The battle went on with Serena on the defensive most of the time. Charmeleon was able to knock out Golbat with a thunder punch and flamethrower. At the same time, Pikachu had taken out Clefable with an iron tail. They were now both down to one pokémon each. The battle continued with Persephone taking the lead. In the midst of battle, Charmeleon managed to activate her blaze ability due to the fact that she was already very weak. Using Blaze, Charmeleon was able to take out Pikachu with Flare blitz.

The seventh match was between Dawn and a Rich guy. She had defeated his team with a Bunneary and a Piloswine.

The eight match was between Trip and a girl. Their battle had gone on for long, but he had taken her out with his Throh and Sawk.

After the final match for the day, they had each gone to heal their pokémon. They gathered at the pool by the back deck to discuss and trade stories. The quarterfinals was going to be between Ash, Gary, Leaf, Paul, Misty, Serena, Dawn and Trip. One way or another, there was a hundred percent chance that they would face each other tomorrow. It was just a matter of who was facing who.

**The Next Day**

The day for both the quarterfinals and semifinals had arrived and it was going to be a _blast_. Diane arrived and made her announcement before introducing the quarterfinalists. She called out the names for the first match of the day. It was between Gary and Serena.

Gary was the one on the red side and as such, he had the first pick. He released Krabby from its ball and Serena responded by sending out Pancham. After checking with both trainers, Diane gave the signal to begin. Gary quickly went on the offensive with Krabby while Serena countered the attacks with Pancham. The battle only took a few minutes with both pokémon knocking each other out with brick break from Krabby and thunder punch from Pancham. Serena recalled Pancham as she sent out Charmeleon. Gary responded by releasing Mach. Serena started off with a metal claw and Gary countered by having Mach use steel wing. Both attacks cancelled each other out and they went at it. They clashed until Charmeleon was able to score a surprise flamethrower and follow up with thunder punch. Gary wasn't worried in the slightest as he began ordering Mach to use quick attack continuously and then air slash. The attacks clashed into Charmeleon dealing major damage, and the fact that she had fought the previous day did not help at all. Mach ended up finishing that battle by knocking out Charmeleon with sky attack. Serena silently recalled Charmeleon as she released her last hope, Delphox. Gary returned Mach as he sent in Graveler to counter Delphox. The battle began with Delphox using future sight and Graveler using rollout. Delphox went on the offensive, giving Graveler no chance to get close while also launching powerful attacks like heat wave and flamethrower, but Gary was smart. He was biding his time by ordering Graveler to use Rock polish about six times. He smirked as Graveler went in with a rollout and then hit Delphox with a double hammer arm. He assaulted her with rollout before ending the match with earth power. Serena could not believe her eyes at how quickly the tables had turned. She thanked Gary for the battle as both of them left the field while the crowd cheered wildly for the lovely battle.

The next match was between Ash and Misty. Both trainers took their spots as Ash reminisced on their first battle. Misty was also thinking about that battle, but unlike that time, she was determined to beat Ash today. Diane just commentated as Misty released her first pokémon, her male Poliwhirl. Ash smirked at her as he released Eevee. The normal type faced the Poliwhirl, ready to take it out. It didn't take long for Eevee's speed to outmaneuver Poliwhirl, and with a powerful iron attack and a nasty shadow ball, Poliwhirl was knocked out. Misty responded by releasing Gyarados and scaring the crowd. Gyarados roared as she came out, using intimidate to lower Eevee's attack power. On Misty's command, Gyarados used earthquake to shake the entire field. It did not take up to two minutes before Eevee was knocked out. Gyarados' eyes glowed red as her moxie boost took over. Ash's next choice was his Scizor. Scizor shot off as his hidden ability activated upon entering battle. He collided with Gyarados avoiding all her tries to use ice fang, before being caught in a twister. The twister was stronger thanks to Gyarados' moxie boost after defeating Eevee. Nevertheless, Scizor knocked her out with flash cannon. The flash cannon was no where near perfect, but it was enough, and Gyarados was out cold. Seeing as she was in trouble, Misty released her Starmie. Starmie fought Scizor valiantly, using psychic to stop the dual type most of the time. But, it was all in vain as both Scizor and Starmie took each other out. Since Ash still had one pokémon yet that had not battled, he was declared winner. Misty had definitely put up a fight against him. If Gyarados was just a tad bit stronger, he would have use his third pokémon. Ash thanked her for the battle as they leave the feet for the next battle to take place.

The third match was between Paul and Leaf. Paul was well aware of Leaf's brutal style and made sure he was prepared to face her. Leaf smirked as she took her place. Paul was on the red side and she was going to enjoy their match. Paul released his Fearow and Leaf countered by releasing her Fearow. As the elder Fearow spotted the former it gave the Fearow equivalent of a smile. The younger shrieked loudly, challenging the elder one, but this time it was not a duel but the real deal. As soon as Diane gave the signal for the battle to begin, both Fearow took to the skies, turning the match into one in the air, with their trainers giving commands from the ground. About ten minutes into the match, Leaf's Fearow fell down after taking a nasty steel wing from Paul's. She was clearly knocked out. Leaf only smirked as she released Cloyster to face Fearow. It took a while before Cloyster took it out with a well placed ice beam to the chest. Cloyster had taken Fearow out, but not without suffering a level of damage too. Paul recalled Fearow and sent in Sandslash. Using speed not expected from a Sandslash, it outclassed Cloyster who was slower and weaker than normal due to his battle with Fearow. Sandslash ended up taking out Cloyster with metal claw, and the only major damage he took was a hydro pump and an ice beam attack. Leaf recalled Cloyster before hurling a friend ball into the air. The light condensed and it revealed her Venusaur, Saur. Saur _roared_ as it saw Sandslash and quickly took him out with a power whip and a leaf storm attack. Everyone, especially Paul was shocked at the speed of the knockout. Paul frowned silently as he let loose his next pokémon, Grotle. As they started to battle, Grotle was quickly outclassed by Venusaur until a white light burst from Grotle as it grew bigger and grew a tree on its back. It had evolved into Torterra. The newly evolved Torterra turned the tables around with her fresh power from her evolution. Torterra made use of the new ground move, earthquake and her unlocked egg moves, earth power and seed bomb, she knocked out Saur. Paul was happy for two reasons, his Torterra had evolved and he was in the semifinals.

The last match was between Trip and Dawn. Trip had won that match after a power tussle. He had used three pokémon he called Mienfoo, Gurdurr and Zangoose. Dawn had used Buizel, Piloswine and Prinplup.

Diane gave them a one hour break to prepare for the semifinals between Ash, Gary, Paul and Trip. During the break, they had healed their pokémon at the St. Anne Pokémon the break, they all went back up to the deck for the semifinals. The first match was drawn between Ash and Gary.

Ash and Gary stood facing each other with Gary on the red side. Gary and Ash exchanged looks, as they both tossed a friend ball in the air. Gary released Growlithe just before Ash released Volt. Diane gave the signal for the battle to begin and the boys went at it. Growlithe and Volt were both fighting with their all, each trying to secure a spot for their trainers in the finals. Volt was weaker than Growlithe in terms of raw strength, but he was able to keep up and land some damaging hits on Growlithe and even paralyze him. Volt ended up knocking Growlithe out with thunder, but Growlithe had really done a number on him. Gary silently returned Growlithe and tossed a friend ball into the air and what came out really shocked Ash. Out of Gary's friend ball came an Absol. He revealed that he had caught Absol in Diglett's Cave. Ash didn't say anything as he ordered Volt to use thunderbolt. The battle with Absol wasn't that long as she knocked out Volt with a powerful megahorn. Ash smirked as he recalled Volt with thanks. He enlarged a friend ball and tossed it into the air, releasing a Golduck. His Psyduck had evolved the previous night. Golduck jumped up and down as it assessed Absol. They resumed the battle and Ash was thankful that he had taught Golduck brick break and focus blast. Though they were nowhere perfect, it was enough to deal damage to the surprisingly powerful Absol. Ash was surprised that it even knew shockwave and it had hit Golduck with it three times, along with other attacks. Ash had even tried freezing the field but she melted it with flamethrower. The battle was long, but both pokémon knocked each other out with zen headbutt and brick break. Ash and Gary looked a bit surprised at the outcome of the match. They were both down to their last pokémon. They both enlarged a friend ball at the same time and tossed it unto the field. The devices released a burst of light and they condensed into a Blastoise on Gary's dude, and an Ivysaur on Ash's side. The final battle was now and Gary opened with ice beam. Ivysaur avoided the attack and they began trading back and forth. Thanks to the protect TM he had bought in Celadon, Ivysaur had a protection from ice type moves to a degree, but it didn't mean that Gary did not have the same move. Hitting Blast was not easy. Ash, quick on his feet ordered a sunny day from Ivysaur. The move weakened water and ice pokémon and their moves, while it strengthened fire and grass pokémon and their moves. Ivysaur's ability, chlorophyll kicked in as the sun intensified, increasing his speed. He was able to nail Blast with a surprise power whip and leaf storm. The assault made Gary curse why he didn't get the rain dance TM. In the end, Ivysaur poisoned Blast and landed a power whip to the head before sunny day ended. Ash smiled, because he just had to wear out Blast and then the match was his. Gary ordered a rapid blizzard. Ash quickly ordered Ivysaur to place his power whip like a shield in front of him. The power whip reduced the damage of the blizzard, but Ivysaur still took a deal of damage. Poison kicked in and dropped Blast to one knee. Ceasing the opportunity, Ivysaur used magical leaf. Blast blocked it with protect, but poison kicked in and he ended up getting knocked out by razor leaf. Gary silently returned his starter while Ash stood dumbfounded for a minute. The crowd soon burst into cheers at the amazing battle they just witnessed. Ash was beyond happy. He had secured his spot in the finals. He hugged Ivysaur as he celebrated. He thanked Gary for the awesome battle as they left the field for the battle between Paul and Trip.

Paul and Trip stood facing each other as they assessed each other. Paul was the red battler and he already had a pokéball in his hand. He enlarged it and released his Electabuzz. Electabuzz came out with antennas sparking wildly. He was ready to rumble. Trip responded by releasing Gurdurr. Diane gave the signal for them to begin battle. Electabuzz went into a frenzy as it came at Gurdurr, but Gurdurr did not give him the slightest chance. It evaded Electabuzz's attack while also using bulk up. After two bulk ups, he was hit with a powerful thunderbolt from Electabuzz. Trip did not seemed worried at all as a stone edge flew into Electabuzz. They both clashed with various punch based moves, especially thunder punch, but Gurdurr would come out on top thanks to its iron fist ability. Getting tired of the clash, Paul ordered an iron tail which slammed into Gurdurr's steel bar. Surprisingly enough, Electabuzz used a thunderbolt to further drive back Gurdurr. Gurdurr responded with a Mach punch, followed by a power-up punch, raising his attack and sending Electabuzz to the ground. Electabuzz got up as his fist sparked up and one froze. Using quick attack, he slammed both fists into Gurdurr and sent it tumbling. Just before Paul could order a substitute, Gurdurr used stone edge to hit Electabuzz, and as he landed, he used force palm, before knocking it out with focus punch. Paul returned Electabuzz and put away his pokéball. He needed the big guns now, he hurled a pokéball and out came his Torterra. Standing at a colossal seven feet. It didn't take more than two minutes for Gurdurr to be out cold. Trip returned him and sent in Throh, hoping that it would match Torterra. Throh was able to match Torterra in terms of strength. Both pokémon went at it for a couple of minutes, before they both ended up knocking each other out. Both Paul and Trip gritted their teeth as this was the decisive moment in the battle. Trip enlarged a pokéball and out of it came his Sawk in a front flip. It took a fighting stance in front of Trip and waited for Paul. Paul too enlarged his pokéball. It was now or never as he released his Infernape. Infernape eyed Sawk as he took on a fighting stance. Trip was surprised that Paul had a fighting type, but he knew how to counter it because he was an expert. The battle started with both Sawk and Infernape launching at each other. They got into a frenzy first with long-range moves like flamethrower and fire blast from Infernape and focus blast and stone edge from Sawk. After that, they went in close and nailed each other with various punch based moves. Paul ordered a close range flamethrower that slammed into Sawk and sent him flying. Trip retaliated with a rock slide, but Infernape dodged them, and was sent into Sawk's Stone edge. Sawk began to use bulk up to boost his attack and defense, and after three of these, he was hit with a thunder punch from Infernape. Sawk flipped in the air, but was hit with a blaze kick from Infernape and was sent to the ground. Infernape landed but was hit with a quick attack powered zen headbutt from Sawk. The super-effective enhanced move slammed into Infernape and sent him to the ground. Infernape was hit with stone edge and then earthquake. Trip thought it was over until Infernape's flame burned hotter and brighter as his eyes glowed red. He launched himself at Sawk and nailed him with a thunder punch. He didn't stop as he kept in the thunder punch assault with both hands, before blasting Sawk with flamethrower. Sawk would have been knocked out if not for bulk up. As Paul ordered a flare blitz, Sawk used bulk up, before using stone edge to slow down Infernape but to no avail. As Infernape closed in, Trip ordered Sawk to jump before driving Infernape's head using the momentum of flare blitz, into the ground. With a final more powerful earthquake, Infernape was out. And there it was, Trip had taken Paul out and the finals would be between him and Ash.

**The Next Day**

Ash and Trip were on the battle field, facing each other. Trip was on the red side, so he had the first move. He enlarged the pokéball in his hands as he tossed it. "You're up, Mienfoo."

"You too, Volt."

Both Mienfoo and Volt were now standing face-to-face on the field, patiently waiting for Diane to signal the start of the match. Diane gave the signal after hyping the battle for about twenty minutes.

"Mienfoo use pound."

"Volt, tackle."

Both attacks clashed neither side giving an inch until they broke up.

"Volt, get back in with thunderbolt."

"Mienfoo, double team and then swift."

As Volt sparked up to deal the damaging move to Mienfoo, the fighting type created a bunch of copies, and all of them began to use swift. The thunderbolt struck one of the copies while swift struck Volt.

"Vital throw."

Mienfoo stopped its swift assault as it ran to pick up Volt. Seeing the incoming Mienfoo, Volt rammed a fire punch into her face, halting her, before sending her flying with dynamic punch. The attack had left Mienfoo confused.

"Volt, thunder punch."

"Mienfoo snap out of it!"

The thunder punch from Volt found its mark on Mienfoo's gut as she was launched and landed just in front of the psychic barriers. Thankfully for Trip, that had snapped her out of confusion.

"Fire punch, let's go."

"Counter dual chop."

Both attacks clashed in an explosion of flame and draconic energy, pushing both pokémon back.

"Brick break."

Mienfoo's hand glowed as she ran at Volt with the intent of slamming him.

"Thunderbolt."

Volt sparked as a bolt of electricity danced from its antenna and slammed into Mienfoo's incoming form, sending the fighting type flying into the psychic barriers. Also, thanks to the fact that Mienfoo was at a type disadvantage to the barriers, it repelled her.

"Swift."

Volt launched numerous golden stars at Mienfoo. They slammed into her, before she was able to recover.

"Mienfoo, rock slide."

Mienfoo slammed her hands on the ground as rocks fell from the sky. Volt's hand glowed white as he used karate chop to destroy the falling rocks. Mienfoo got angry and slammed the deck with her hands, causing the rocks to circle around her, before launching them at Volt.

"Volt, thunderspeed. Avoid the rocks."

Volt's hand sparked as he accelerated himself towards Mienfoo, swerving to avoid the stone edge attack as he did so. He didn't stop as he used quick attack to boost himself and slam into Mienfoo. The fighting type elicited a cry of pain as she was once again repelled by the psychic barriers.

"Thunder."

Volt's antenna sparked as it spread throughout his entire body. He was sparking with yellow lightning as he let loose a powerful thunder attack that slammed into Mienfoo, knocking her out.

"Mienfoo. You did good," Trip said as he returned her and took another pokéball from his belt. Out of the pokéball came his Gurdurr. Gurdurr slammed his steel bar on the ground as he flexed his muscles.

"Elekid vs Gurdurr begin."

"Sky launch."

Volt's hands sparked as he slammed them into the deck with enough force to send him into the air. He already knew what Ash wanted and immediately followed up with swift, sending many numerous golden stars at Gurdurr. Gurdurr countered by slamming his steel bar vertically in front of him as he erected a green barrier that protected against the swift attack.

"Fire punch," Trip ordered as the swift assault ended. Gurdurr's hand soon caught ablaze as he ran at Volt. Volt countered with a fire punch. Both attacks collided, but as soon as they clashed, Gurdurr's pushed Volt back in an explosion of flames. "Force palm." Gurdurr gave the air a forceful palm, sending fighting energy shaped like a palm at Volt.

The attack slammed into Volt as he just righted himself midair. Volt was met with the psychic barrier as he collided into it. Things were starting to shape up for Trip. "Thunderspeed. Circle it," Ash suddenly called out. Volt revved as he began to circle Gurdurr. After a couple seconds of circling, he moved in with a thunder punch. Gurdurr countered with his own thunder punch, but Volt swerved with amazing speed as he punched Gurdurr in the jaw, sending him into the air.

Gurdurr twisted himself in the air so that his head was were his feet were. He hurled his steel bar at Volt, resulting in a direct hit, just as lightning arcs danced over his body. He was paralyzed from thunder punch. As he landed, he shot off at Volt's staggering body, landing a fire punch and an ice punch, before picking up his steel bar and slamming it into Volt, sending the electric type rocketing towards the barriers.

"Sky launch on the barriers."

Volt turned to face the barriers head on as he slammed electrified hands into the barrier. The result was a force that was so great it shook the deck slightly as Volt was sent rocketing back towards Gurdurr. "Thunder!" Ash yelled as Volt approached. Trip ordered Gurdurr to move, but sparks danced over his body. He couldn't move and thus took on the full powered thunder move from a shiny Elekid. The thunder attack sent Gurdurr into the psychic barriers before he was repelled very strongly. "Finish him up. Thunderbolt." Volt's antenna sparked as he sent a bolt of electricity at it at Gurdurr's fallen body, electrocuting it to oblivion. The outcome was clear. Gurdurr was out and Ash was leading two-nil.

Volt landed as he fell to one knee, barely holding himself up, but it was definitely clear that he could still go on. Trip took a third pokéball as he released a furry pokémon. Its fur was white all over with traces of magenta on the left ear, both arms, across its left cheek and by the right chest area. It also had large claws and had spikes running along it's back and looked a lot feral. It was a Zangoose. Zangoose brandished his claws as he growled at Volt.

"Zangoose vs Volt begin."

"Metal claw until he drops.'

Zangoose growled as his claws attained a metallic sheen. He ran at Volt and began slashing at him with no remorse. He continued this assault until Volt was knocked out. Ash silently returned Volt as he took the next pokéball from his belt. He tossed it unto the field as he released Scizor. He intended to take Zangoose out quickly.

"Scizor vs Zangoose begin."

"Metal claw."

"Metal claw."

Both Scizor's and Zangoose' hands attained metallic Sheen's as they both had at it. They continued the attack with neither one of them landing a solid hit on the other. "Fire punch." Zangoose blocked Scizor's incoming hand as his hand caught ablaze. He punched Scizor in the gut, landing a super-effective hit, and sending Scizor back a couple of feet.

"Ice punch."

"Vacuum wave."

Vacuum wave eradicated ice punch before slamming into Zangoose. Zangoose elicited a cry of pain as the attack hit his arm.

"Focus punch."

"Agility and nail him with aerial ace."

Zangoose' hand glowed a whitish blue as he thrust it at Scizor. Scizor slipped into agility, and after circling Zangoose once, he slammed into him with aerial ace. The move took Zangoose by surprise.

"Zangoose. Thunder punch."

Zangoose' hand sparked with yellow lightning as he thrust it at Scizor's before he could pull back from using aerial ace. Scizor reeled back from the attack due to its very super-effective nature.

"Scizor!"

"Focus punch."

The whitish blue punch move slammed into Scizor and sent him into the air. Scizor fell to the ground shortly after with a large thud.

"Shockwave."

Zangoose brandished his claws as he formed an orb of electricity and released a thin bolt of lightning that raced towards Scizor's fallen body. "Quick pursuit." Scizor quickly shot off with a white outline around him. He glowed with dark energy as he nailed Zangoose from behind, sending it reeling back from the impact.

"Steel wing."

Scizor's wings attained a metallic sheen as he raced towards Zangoose and slamming it into the psychic barriers. Scizor slowly got up as he looked at his fallen foe. Trip smirked as he ordered a flamethrower from Zangoose. Zangoose' mouth was filled with flames as he let loose a torrent of flames at Scizor. The flamethrower attack sent Scizor flying with a very powerful force. He continued in the air until he collided with the ground and was sent skidding.

Scizor struggled to his feet after that point-blank, very super-effective attack. Zangoose got up as he used sword dance to boost his attack power. Zangoose slammed his hands on the deck due to orders from Trip. Soon, rocks fell from the sky as they chased after a running Scizor. Soon some rocks slammed into Scizor and knocked him down. Zangoose slammed his hand once more as the rocks all converged at Scizor and buried him with rocks. After Zangoose removed the rocks, it was clear to everyone that Scizor was knocked out.

Ash recalled Scizor as he watched Zangoose. It was obviously very fast as it kept up with agility enhanced and quick attack Scizor. It was also very strong, especially now after that attack boost with swords dance. It didn't even show signs of exhaustion after knocking out one of Ash's strongest pokémon. Zangoose was tough, but he had someone who could take him on. He hurled a friend ball into the air as he released Ivysaur. Ivysaur came out of his friend ball with a light growl as he eyed Zangoose.

"Zangoose vs Ivysaur begin."

"Hone claws."

Zangoose brandished his claws as he raised his attack and accuracy.

"Vine whip."

Ivysaur growled as vines leapt from his bulb towards Zangoose. "Night slash." Zangoose' claws attained a purple hue as dark energy coated it. Zangoose slashed at the incoming vines but he was knocked down. Ivysaur had changed the attack to a power whip at the last moment. He slammed Zangoose once more for good measure. Zangoose struggled. To even stagger to his feet from the impact of two power whips.

"Sunny day."

Ivysaur growled as he shot a glowing red orb into the sky as he increased the intensity of the sun. Trip didn't have an idea on what Ash was planning, but he had other plans in mind. "Flamethrower," he ordered Zangoose. The normal type's mouth filled with flames as he spewed towards Ivysaur.

"Solar beam." Ivysaur charged a yellow white orb just above his bulb. He let it loose as it zipped across the field. It tore through the incoming flamethrower before slamming into Zangoose and knocking the Cat Ferret Pokemon out. Thanks to sunny day, both the power and the speed of solar beam were increased. Zangoose couldn't bare it and gave in to unconsciousness.

Ash had taken the lead of three-to-two. Trip recalled Zangoose after thanking him. He took the next pokéball he had and hurled it. Light burst forth from it as a bulky red pokémon materialised. It wore a white judo gi and a black belt. It had three fingers and huge black eyes and a funny looking nose. It was Throh.

The Judo pokémon came out with all eagerness to battle.

"Ivysaur vs Throh begin."

"Petal dance."

Ivysaur growled as it released dozens of petals, all twirling, towards Throh. Throh casually held up his hands as he blocked the petal dance with protect. As the attack ended, he dropped the emerald shield, but was surprised to see Ivysaur ram him with skull bash. Throh skidded to a stop before giving Ivysaur an ice punch.

Ivysaur winced from the super-effective move slamming into him. The move wasn't all that damaging because sunny day was still in effect and Ivysaur landed on the other side of the field, where he stood facing Throh.

"Zen headbutt."

Throh's head was aligned with a pink glow as he ran at Ivysaur. Ivysaur held his ground as he shot razor sharp leaves at Throh. The leaves hit their mark and succeeded in slowing down but not stopping Throh. Ivysaur braced himself as Throh slammed into him and knocked him into the air.

"Vine whip," Ash ordered quickly.

"Catch it." Throh caught the incoming vines, but Ash had a counter for that. Ivysaur shot razor sharp leaves at Throh, dealing some amount of damage. Irritated by the razor leaf attack, Throh pulled Ivysaur towards him with his left hand as his right hand got ablaze fiercely, thanks to sunny day.

"Skull bash."

As a last minute effort, Ivysaur slammed into Throh's fire punch head first. Most of skull bash's impact was absorbed by fire punch and vice-versa. Ivysaur was launched backwards by the move while Throh's right hand was heavily damaged as his back hit the ground.

"Ivysaur/ Throh!" Both trainers called.

Ash watched as Ivysaur slowly got to his feet. Sunny day was just about over, and Ivysaur would be slower than he was now. He had to act fast. He ordered a sludge bomb and the attack slammed into a now standing Throh, and knocked him over. The purple glow that Ash was waiting for appeared. Throh was poisoned. He was happy Beedrill had taught Ivysaur the move. But, there was just one problem. If Throh had the ability Guts, it was going to be a real drag.

Throh got up and shot a focus blast on Trip's command. The attack was faster than it should be and it slammed into Ivysaur. The attack also looked a lot more powerful. Ash's worst fear concerning the battle had just manifested. Throh had the ability Guts.

He was snapped out of his train of thought by Trip. "Earthquake." He watched as Throh jumped into the air and was about slamming the ground. He quickly ordered Ivysaur to use Vine whip to send himself into the air. Ash sighed deeply as Ivysaur did that and avoided the earthquake. Throh slammed into the deck with a powerful force. The impact shook the entire deck and both Ash and Trip struggled to balance themselves. Throh slammed his hands on the ground, causing rocks to fall on Ivysaur.

"Rock tomb, bury it."

"Leaf storm."

Poison kicked in as Throh slammed his hands on the deck, sending rocks at Ivysaur. Leaves erupted from Ivysaur's bulb, destroying all rocks and slamming into Throh. This gave Ivysaur time to stand and regain his bearings. Both pokémon were panting heavily. They collided once again, before pulling back to their trainer's side. The next attack was going to be the deciding factor.

"Tale down/ Zen headbutt!" Both trainers yelled. Ivysaur crouched down as he poured power to his legs. He shot off with all his might and strength as both he and Zangoose' heads clashed. The clash caused a shockwave that was felt by both Trip and Ash. An explosion occurred as a result of both pokémon trying to overpower each other. As the smoke cleared, they could all see that both pokémon were knocked out.

Both Ash and Trip recalled the fallen bodies of Ivysaur and Throh respectively. Both Ash and Trip held brand new pokéballs in their hands as they hurled them unto the field. Out of Ash's friend ball came Wartortle. The water type landed on the field and shot a water gun into the air while bringing out black sunglasses from inside his shell. Out of Trip's pokéball came a blue pokémon. It wore a white karate gi and black belt. It had three fingers, a funny looking nose and huge eyes. It was similar to Throh. It was a Sawk.

"Sawk vs Wartortle begin."

"Bulk up and quick attack."

Sawk flexed his muscles as he glowed red. He raised his attack and defense, before shooting off while outlined in a white streak. "Wartortle, aura sphere." Wartortle cupped his hands as he separated them, while forming a glowing blue sphere, before launching it at Sawk's incoming form.

"Sawk, focus punch."

Sawk's hand glowed a blue-white as he punched right through aura sphere. He continued until he slammed into Wartortle. Wartortle was knocked into the air, but he righted himself as he froze Sawk's leg with ice beam. After freezing his leg, he came back with rapid spin. He slammed into Sawk and broke him out of his frozen prison. Sawk and landed on the ground and skidded slightly to a stop.

"Water pulse."

"Focus blast."

Wartortle formed a sphere of water and launched it at the incoming focus blast. Focus blast tore through water pulse, causing it to explode in a burst of water. Wartortle dodged the focus blast, but was hit with zen headbutt, courtesy of Sawk.

"Brick break."

Sawk's hand attained a red glow as he charged Wartortle. "Withdraw." Wartortle took to his shell just as Sawk's hand hit his shell. The impact sent the shell flying, with Wartortle inside. Wartortle emerged as his shell stopped flying.

"Wartortle charge him."

Wartortle ran at Sawk knowing well what Ash had in mind. "Focus punch." Sawk's hand glowed a blue white as he ran at Wartortle's incoming form. "Aqua Spin." Wartortle became shrouded in water while he continued running. He tucked himself into his shell and the aqua jet enshrouded his entire shell. He continued spinning as he slammed into Sawk's focus punch. The aqua spin easily broke focus punch and slammed into Sawk, sending him into the psychic barriers.

As Wartortle landed back on the ground, he fell to one knee, breathing heavily. Ash sighed. The move still took quite a toll on Wartortle after it was used. That was a major drawback. His attention was diverted from Wartortle to Sawk who was staggering to his feet. The fighting type had recovered pretty quickly. It was strong and that was a pain for Ash. Wartortle needed time to recover before he could resume battle. It was just like how hyper beam was for pokémon who used it the first time.

"Quick punch."

Sawk shot off, outlined in a white glow with his hands sparking furiously as he neared Wartortle. He slammed his fist into Wartortle's face as he sent the water type rocketing into the psychic barriers. Wartortle slumped down from the barriers, before staggering to his feet. The speed and power of the thunder punch was utterly devastating.

"Earthquake."

"Dodge it."

Sawk jumped up and came down with a quake like that of Throh, but Wartortle was able to avoid it by jumping up. "Water gun." Wartortle shot a jet of water at the still earthquake using Sawk. The water gun slammed into his face and stunned him for some seconds.

"Focus punch."

Sawk got back up with a blue white hand as he ran at Wartortle. "Focus punch." Wartortle also used focus punch as he charged an incoming Sawk. Their fists collided as they both fought for dominance. In the end, neither of them won as they pulled back. They were evenly matched in terms of strength.

"Aura sphere."

"Focus blast."

Both fighting moves collided mid-flight in an explosion of battle energy. The explosion created a huge smoke cloud that covered the entire field. Ash and Trip could hear fighting sounds coming from the smoke cloud. After it cleared, both Wartortle and Sawk were breathing heavily. Wartortle growled at Sawk and the fighting type responded by stomping his foot.

"Ice beam."

Wartortle reared his head back as he released an arc of icy energy at Sawk. The fighting type responded by releasing a focus blast. The focus blast met with the ice beam and tore through it while making its way towards Wartortle. "Focus punch. Send it back." Wartortle's hand glowed blue white as he punched at the incoming focus blast in a way that sent it back at Sawk.

"Focus punch." Sawk's hand also glowed a blue white as he destroyed the focus blast attack with it. Both pokémon have fierce battle cries as they charged each other. Everyone on the deck watched in anticipation, anxious about what would happen next. Both Wartortle's and Sawk's fists collided at the center of the field. A shockwave rippled throughout the entire field, before an explosion occurred. The huge cloud of smoke soon cleared and both pokémon were knocked out by their collision. Ash and Trip both returned Wartortle and Sawk respectively.

Ash took Golduck's friend ball from his belt as he hurled it up and down. He was leading five-to-four, but something occurred to him. If Trip used fighting type pokémon, then his starter would probably be a fighting type or one with fighting attributes. Trip was from Unova, so that meant.._. 'Oh no,'_ Ash thought as Trip hurled his pokéball unto the battlefield. White light burst from it and condensed into a pokémon about five feet and four inches in height. It had a general red and black colour scheme with long black eyebrows and a wrestling look. But what really gave it a unique look was the large flaming beard it possessed. It was an Emboar. Emboar landed on the deck with a fierce roar as it eyed the Golduck that came out of Ash's friend ball. Despite not having the ability intimidate, Golduck felt intimidated by the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon.

"Say hello to Emboar, thr strongest pokémon I have and my starter."

Ash looked at the huge Pokemon in front of him. It stood taller than Golduck with only a couple of inches.

"Trip is down to his last pokémon, but it appears to be a monstrosity. How will Ash cope with this?" Diane said as the crowd burst with cheers. "Golduck vs Emboar begin."

"Water pulse."

"Destroy it. Arm thrust."

Emboar burst the water pulse with just a single hit of arm thrust. As he did that, he made his way towards Golduck.

"Sunny day."

Emboar shot a glowing red orb into the sky, increasing the intensity of the sun. Ash was in a tight spot. Golduck went on the offensive with a brick break. Emboar met it with his own brick break. The two moves clashed and Golduck was quickly overpowered and driven to the ground. "Heavy slam."

Emboar jumped up and came down on Golduck with his full might, shaking the deck to an extent. "Confusion." Before Golduck could use the attack, Emboar had already jumped up before coming down with a powerful earthquake. The attack was stronger than that of Sawk and Throh. It really did a number on Golduck.

Emboar gave Golduck some space, letting him stagger to his feet. Emboar charged a yellow white orb in his mouth before shooting it as a beam at Golduck. Golduck held up his hands to block the beam, but it crashed into him and sent him into the psychic barriers. Golduck fell face first on the ground. Emboar slowly made his way toward him. Golduck held up his head. His vision was blurry and he could barely hear Ash shouting his name and yelling words of encouragement. Emboar just trotted over to him slowly like a predator stalking its prey. Golduck could not bear to lose without landing a single hit. As a final attempt, he sent a future sight attack. The last thing he saw was flames. Emboar unleashed a torrent of flames at Golduck, knocking him out.

Ash recalled him. He held Golduck's friend ball and could feel the water type's sadness. He put away the friend ball as he took his final friend ball. He twisted his cap backwards as he hurled the friend ball at the field. Out of the friend ball burst forth Blaze. He took to the skies as he spat a torrent of flames at the sky. He descended moments after and growled at Emboar. Emboar responded by roaring a challenge at Blaze.

"And here you have it folks. We are now down to the final battle of the St. Anne Tournament. It is now a battle between the starters of these young trainers. Who will win it all. Ash or Trip?" The entire deck erupted in cheers as every single person on the St. Anne was hyped for the battle. Even those in their rooms were watching it on their Television.

"Emboar vs Charizard begin."

"Flamethrower."

"Flamethrower."

Torrents of flame erupted from the mouths of both fire types. Both flamethrowers clashed at the center of the field. They looked to be evenly matched as both pokémon cut off the attack. Evenly matched? Blaze scoffed. He hadn't even shown his true power. He was snapped out of his train of thought by a flame burst that hit his face. He turned towards Emboar with a growl.

"Dragon pulse."

"Shadow ball."

Blaze shot an emerald sphere of draconic energy from his mouth while Emboar shot a black sphere of otherworldly energy. Both spheres collided, before exploding, and kicking up smoke. Blaze shot himself inside the smoke, before emerging from the other side, barrelling into Emboar with aerial ace. Emboar groaned at the super-effective attack, but gave Blaze a thunder punch. Blaze reeled back slightly at the super-effective move. He pulled back as Ash gave the order for iron tail. Blaze's tail attained a metallic sheen as he sent it at Emboar. Trip countered with iron head. It was a stalemate before Blaze sent Emboar back.

"Fire blast."

"Fire blast."

Both attacks clashed and exploded. Flames flew everywhere and didn't even affect either of them in the slightest. "Air cutter." Blaze flapped his wings as razor sharp air impacted Emboar, sending the fire type reeling back.

"Dragon dance."

"Bulk up."

Blaze began to perform a series of dance pattern as he raised his attack and his speed. Similarly, Emboar flexed his muscles as he raised his attack and defense.

"Thunder punch."

"Flamethrower."

Blaze's hand sparked with yellow lightning as he charged Emboar. The fighting type spewed a torrent of flames, but Blaze flew right in. A Charizard does not avoid the flames of another pokémon. He burst out as Emboar stopped the flames and punched him hard. Emboar reeled back from the impact at the now stronger and faster Charizard.

As Blaze pulled back, Emboar slammed his hands on the ground as rocks fell from the sky. He slammed his hands once again as he used stone edge, causing them to circle around him. "Using rock slide to get stone edge. Not bad. Ready metal claw."

Blaze nodded as both claws attained a metallic sheen. Just then, Emboar launched the attack. Blaze sliced every single rock that got near him, and soon they were all destroyed. "Flame charge."

Emboar soon became shrouded in flames as he ran at Blaze who had now landed on the ground. Blaze had readied a fire punch and was waiting patiently for Emboar. "Focus fire." Emboar's hand caught ablaze and one could see a blue white glow underneath. Blaze and Emboar clashed fists with each other, but the force at which Blaze was sent back was shocking. Ash wondered what that technique was.

"Focus fire. A combination of focus punch and fire punch," Trip said, sensing his curiosity. "Not bad huh?"

"Yeah. Now let me show you my combo move. Reinforced pulse."

Blaze shot off at Emboar as he formed a fire ball with a dragon pulse inside it. He flew with great speeds before slamming the attack into Emboar's belly. Emboar was lifted five feet into the air by the force and speed of the attack. Emboar hit the ground hard while Blaze just took back to the air. Just then a powerful psychic blast slammed into Emboar. It was the future sight attack that Golduck had sent.

Ash smiled as the attack slammed into Emboar, but he knew it won't be enough. The fire type had amazing defense.

"Flamethrower."

"Flamethrower."

Both fire types shot another round of flames at each other, resulting in a stalemate once again. Their flamethrowers exploded and covered the entire field in smoke. From inside the smoke, Ash and Trip could hear sounds of fighting and various battle cries. As the smoke cleared, both pokémon were grappling each other. "Heavy slam." Emboar pulled back as he jumped up to deliver the powerful attack. Blaze instinctively shot a flame thrower at the incoming body. Flamethrower hit Emboar, bit didn't do much as he slammed into Blaze, but the power was greatly reduced. "Smokescreen, pull back."

Blaze spewed a thick cloud of smoke from his mouth as it covered the entire field. As the smoke cleared, Blaze was back with Ash and Emboar was in front of Trip. "Aerial ace." Blaze shot off as he blurred out of existence before slamming into Emboar with aerial ace. He was paid back with a thunder punch right to the face. Both pokémon withstood the respective attacks as they panted heavily.

"Dragon rush."

"Focus punch."

Blaze crouched down and narrowed his eyes as he was enveloped in draconic energy, just as Emboar's hand had attained a blue white glow. They both charged each other, with Emboar using flame charge. Dragon rush and focus punch clashed on the battlefield and exploded in a burst of battle and draconic energy. As the smoke cleared, both Blaze and Emboar were battered and bruised, barely able to stand up.

Suddenly, both Blaze's tail flame and Emboar's beard flame flared up with blue flame. Both their eyes glowed pure red. Blaze had kicked in. They both stood to their feet as they stared each other down, ready to end the battle with one final move their trainers knew all too well.

"Blaze/Emboar."

"Flare BLITZ!"

Both Blaze and Emboar became completely writhed and enshrouded in flames. They both charged each other head on. Flare blitz was a common decisive factor in the strength of fire types. Most of their bouts were settled by the all powerful fire move. Just like how water types settled bouts with hydro pump.

Blaze and Emboar met at the center of the field in a massive collision that sent a shockwave that was felt throughout the deck. The psychic barriers flared at the huge explosion of flames. If it had been one, two or three Alakazam, the barrier would have broke. Thankfully it was six. Flames writhed throughout the entire field, before slowly dying down, but smoke was still left.

"Blaze/Emboar!" Both trainers called out and heard two distinct cries. The smoke cleared and both pokémon were stood facing each other, with burn marks all over their bodies. They were breathing heavily and Ash wasn't even sure that either of them could fight. Blaze growled at Emboar and the fighting type responded by roaring, before falling face first into the ground. The true fire type had been decided and it was not him. Blaze placed a foot on his opponents body before spitting a huge torrent of flames with huge hints of blue in it. He had almost graduated to the next stage of power. Ash blinked twice as Trip recalled Emboar. He had won. He had won. The entire St. Anne erupted in cheers as Ash ran to embrace Blaze. He dove at the Charizard as both of them fell to the ground.

"We did it buddy. I knew we could."

They celebrated some more with Blaze spitting flames into the air. The fire type had done well. As soon as the Alakazam dropped the psychic barriers, all his friends ran to celebrate with him, congratulating him on his win.

After much celebration and healing their pokémon, the group went to prepare for the Award Ceremony that evening. Ash was in his room and he had already worn his tux. He had only ten minutes till the ceremony started. After addressing them, he recalled all of them, except for Emerald. With that done, he locked his door and made his way to the Dining Hall. He met all of his friends there, and they were all seated at one table. Captain Jones soon came and did some introductions and thanked all those present, and not forgetting to thank Arceus for a successful tournament. He then proceeded to call out the awards.

"Without further ado, the first four of the top eight, Leaf Green, Serena Sycamore, Dawn Hikari and Misty Waterflower, should please come up and claim their rewards. I believe it was twenty full restores and four TM vouchers."

The crowd clapped as the quartet went to claim their prizes, before coming back to their seats.

"Now, would Gary Oak, Paul Shinji, Trip and Ash Ketchum please come up here."

The boys got up as the crowd erupted in an even louder cheer and a greater applause. Ash still had Emerald on his neck. As they reached the podium, they were given the same prize as the girls, but on the table by their side were seven ultraballs, each containing a rare pokémon. Four ladies came out back holding their gifts. To Gary they gave five great balls. To Paul they gave eight great balls. To Trip they gave four ultraballs and a box containing one of every evolutionary item. To Ash they gave four ultraballs and a ticket with direct entry to the Indigo League.

"And now," Captain Jones started. "Will these young men now pick one of the pokémon on this table."

Gary stepped forward to the table and picked an ultra ball. He pressed the release button and out of it came a grey green pokémon with a red, diamond-shaped underbelly and two smaller black diamonds in both sides. It had a singular long horn on top of its head. It was a Larvitar. The rock type took in his surroundings as the entire hall was filled with gasps. They all watched as Gary worked his magic and convinced Larvitar to come with him. A pokémon that could grow to become a pseudo-legendary.

A pseudo-legendary was a type of pokémon that had exactly three evolutionary stages. They were highly powerful and possessed enough power to be able to naturally take on some of the lesser legendaries like Celebi, and the legendary dogs. They were not considered pseudo-legendary until they reached the final stage of their evolution though. So for them to tap into the power, they must reach that final stage. They were a couple of pseudo-legendaries around the world. Kanto had the Dratini-line, that evolved into the powerful Dragon Pokémon, Dragonite, a dragon and flying dual type. Johto had the Larvitar-line that evolved into the powerful Armor Pokémon, Tyranitar, a rock and dark dual type. Hoenn had the Bagon-line that evolved into the powerful Dragon Pokémon, Salamence, a dragon and flying dual type, and also the Beldum-line that evolved into the powerful Iron Leg Pokémon, Metagross, a psychic and steel dual type. Sinnoh had the Gible-line that evolved into the powerful Mach Pokémon, Garchomp, a dual dragon and ground type. Unova had the Deino-line that evolved into the Brutal Pokémon, Hydreigon, a dual dark and dragon type. Kalos had the Goomy-line that evolved into the powerful Dragon Pokémon, Goodra, a pure dragon type. Alola had the Jangmo-o-line that evolved into the powerful Scaly Pokémon, Kommo-o, a dual dragon and fighting type.

Gary was happy that he had a pseudo-legendary in his team now, at least a potential pseudo-legendary.

Paul stepped forward as he chose an ultra ball. He released the pokémon inside and out came a blue pokémon with a red underbelly. It had short arms and legs and a huge mouth. It had a large dorsal fin, similar to that of a shark. It was a Gible. This was the starter evolution of Sinnoh's pseudo-legendary, Garchomp. He held the little dragon type as he picked it up and began sweet talking it.

At that time, Trip had walked up to the table and had chosen an ultra ball. He released the pokémon inside from its confines. He was expecting a small pokémon, but was surprised to see a pokémon that was three feet taller than him. It looked like a kangaroo with tough hide. It had a pouch with a baby inside. It was brown with a lighter shade on its underbelly. It was a Kangaskhan and he was in luck because they loved kids. He took Kangaskhan to a corner and began talking to her.

Ash decided it was his turn and walked over to the table and chose an ultra ball. He released the pokémon and was surprised to be tackled by a surprisingly hyperactive black pokémon. It had hints of red on the black tuft of fur on its head and its feet. It had huge blue eyes and large black ears, with a crest of fur similar to that of Eevee. It was a Zorua. It was a powerful dark type that involved into the powerful Illusion Fox, Zoroark. They were both capable of casting easily believable illusions.

Ash, Trip, Paul and Gary made their way back to their seats after that. While the Captain was still talking, they were chatting at their table.

"Well, scan them," Leaf said ever eagerly. "Yeah." The other girls said.

"Okay," Gary said as he pointed his pokédex at Larvitar. "Don't be scared Larvitar. It's just going to tell me a little bit about you." That seemed to ease Larvitar as it accepted. "Pokédex scan."

**"Scanning... Larvitar, the Rock Skin Pokémon. Born underground, it eats its way through dirt to the surface where its parents are. It doesn't deal well with the bright light it finds there.**

**"This Larvitar is male and knows the moves bite, leer, sandstorm, chip away and screech. It knows the egg moves ancient power, stealth rock, iron tail and iron head. It has the ability guts and the hidden ability sand veil."**

"You really are strong Larvitar," Gary said. Larvitar just puffed up his chest in pride.

Paul brought out his pokédex and did the same to Gible.

"**Gible, the Land Shark Pokémon. It reacts to anything that moves; flies right at it and bites it. Sometimes it injures itself, but it doesn't care too much.**

**"This Gible is female and knows the moves tackle, sandstorm, dragon rage, sand attack, and take down. It knows the egg moves outrage, mud shot, sand tomb and metal claw. It has the ability sand veil and the hidden ability rough skin."**

**"Kangaskhan, the Parent Pokémon. Kangaskhan protects its child by keeping it in its pouch. It has zero forgiveness for those who harm its child and will beat them down.**

**"This Kangaskhan knows the move comet punch, leer, bite, double edge, fake out, tail whip, drain punch and aqua tail. It knows the egg moves focus punch, hammer arm and crush claw. It has the ability early bird and the hidden ability inner focus."**

**"Zorua, the Tricky Fox Pokémon. This pokémon has a cowardly disposition, so when it's not around friends, it always staya transformed as something else.**

**"This Zorua is female and knows the moves leer, fury swipes, scratch, pursuit, foul play and bounce. It knows the egg moves sucker punch and dark pulse. It has the ability Illusion."**

They all registered the pokéballs under them and watched as they teleported over to their respective labs. Just then, the lights went out, and a loud manly scream was heard throughout the Hall, followed by a thud. Then the lights came on. Theres, standing on the podium was a man. He wore a black suit and had green hair. On his left pocket, he had the symbol of Team Rocket. There, lying on the floor was Captain Jones. Was he dead? Had that man killed him?

"Greetings to you all from Team Rocket." The entire hall was silent as they listened to him. "My name is Proton and I am Team Rocket's commander. I'm going to be very clear with my words. Team Rocket has taken over this ship. Your communications are down and you're all asked to cooperate. My associates Executive Archer, Executive Petrel and Executive Pierce, and I are in need of rare pokémon for Team Rocket's purposes. What better place to look than a ship full of trainers. Team Rocket grunts are going to come in through these doors. Cooperate with them and give them your pokémon, or you'll suffer the same fate as the captain. And also, you have thirty minutes or so, because after that, the St. Anne would be no more than smithereens." After saying this, he laughed very sadistically into the mic and left.

There was silence in the hall for about ten seconds, and then total chaos. People ran as the grunts trooped in, frisking everyone for their pokémon.

"I'm not letting them have my pokémon," Ash declared.

"What do we do?" Dawn asked.

"We get our things from our rooms and fight any Rocket that stands in our way," Gary said as he released Graveler.

They all agreed and had their pokémon out as they went to get their things. "We meet at the pool people. Move out."

They went to their rooms to get anything they left back there. They had encountered Rockets along the way, but they were no match. Ten minutes later and they had assembled at the pool.

"Alright. We're all here," Trip said.

"You don't think Team Rocket would blow up the St. Anne. I mean, they're petty criminals who steal pokémon, right? I mean. What would give them the confidence to take on an entire ship. Aren't they scared of the League," Misty asked.

"It's exactly that. The Master and Champion are both in Alola right now. Lorelei is back in the Orange Islands. Bruno is in Kalos and Agatha would be at the Pokémon Tower. As for Koga I'm not sure, but that should be it. From what I've heard about the Executives, they are pretty crazy and don't show their face for petty reasons. And-" Ash started but was cut short.

"Well, well, well. What do I have here? Just the guy I wanted. Ash Satoshi Ketchum."

They looked up to see Proton with a wide grin on his face.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"Well," Proton said as he tossed a pokéball up and down. "My higher-up instructed me to ask if you or the rest of you," he said pointing at Gary, Paul and Trip. "Would like to join Team Rocket. We've seen your skills and we like that. What'd you say?"

"Pass," Gary said while spitting.

"Hmm?"

"I'll never join the likes of you. I know all about your evil doings and crazy experiments on pokémon. I have no interest," Paul said.

"Me neither," Trip said.

"Both me and Gary have had an encounter with Team Rocket in the past. We were almost killed at such a young age. I'd never join an organization that doesn't care about what people feel, and even annihilate them for no reason," Ash said.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," the girls responded on behalf of the boys.

"Well. Then I'm afraid I'll have to kill you."

They all flinched as Proton's tone turned cold and icy. He tossed the pokéball as he released a pokémon. It had four wings and was purple all over. It was a Crobat.

"You honestly think you can take on all of us with a Crobat?" Leaf asked.

"Yes I do," Proton responded quite confidently.

"What did they say?" A man asked as he dropped from the sky. It was Petrel. Soon enough, Archer and Pierce also came down.

"Pierce, they all said no."

"They did. Then I have no use for them. Kill them and liberate their pokémon. They'll make wonderful specimens." During this time interval, the boys were able to convince the girls to join a life boat and live quickly. They agreed rather involuntarily, but they had no choice. They won't be able to fight while protecting each other.

"So which one of them is the brat that spoilt our Mt. Moon expedition?" Petrel asked.

Proton just pointed at Ash as his Crobat eyed him.

"That's a dead kid," Pierce announced. "Mt. Moon is the best place to find mega stones in Kanto. You have no idea what you've just done kid. And you just refused my offer. And from what I heard, you liberated all the Ditto our grunts caught. You delayed the Boss's project.Thankfully, you've not done anything insane, so we'll let you live of you handover your pokémon to us."

"Never," Ash said. "I'm standing my ground."

"Archer," Pierce called. "Tell the young man what we do to opposition."

Archer stepped forward as he held a guy by his throat. He lifted him as he strangled him. The man struggled as he felt his life slip away until... His entire body went _limp_. Archer let him fall from the height that they were unto the deck below, lifeless.

Ash and the others looked a bit frightened at the sight of that. They each held up a pokéball as they struggled to stay perfectly level for the battle ahead.

Pierce smirked. "I'm a man of my word. So you guys are ready to face us. Don't think that just because you're kids, we won't kill you. You're gonna die." As he said this, he released an Absol. Petrel released a Sableye and Archer released a Liepard.

"Final chance," Pierce announced. "Give us your pokémon and walk away with your life."

Ash gritted his teeth as he released Scizor. Gary released Growlithe. Paul released Sandslash and Trip released Gurdurr.

"I take that as a no. Too bad. You four would have made perfect Rockets. Leave the Ash kid to me. He's my feast. And to think you want to actually take us on with one pokémon each."

Pierce's Absol leapt into the air as it landed in front of Ash. Its eyes were blood red and it looked like it was in no mood for laughter. "Absol. _Kill him_." Absol's eyes narrowed as he lunged at Ash. Scizor got in between them as he held up his hands and took the bite for Ash. With the others, they had already gotten into similar fights.

Ash watched in horror as a flamethrower hit Scizor point-blank. He freaked out slightly as he released Ivysaur and Wartortle to assist.

"Ivysaur razor leaf. Wartortle water gun. Keep it at bay."

Both pokémon launched their respective attacks at Absol who casually erected a barrier that blocked all attacks. As their attacks died, Absol used feint attack to casually slam all of them.

"Scizor metal claw. Ivysaur Vine whip."

Scizor's claws attained a metallic sheen as he moved in at Absol. Ivysaur summoned vines from its bulb as it made to catch Absol.

The dark type retaliated with a fierce blizzard attack that slammed into both of them. Wartortle had used protect to secure Ash and himself, but the same couldn't be said for Scizor and Ivysaur. They were staggering to their feet from the super-effective move hitting them. "Wartortle aqua spin."

Wartortle used the powerful combination move as he made his way at Absol. Absol charged Wartortle with a scythe covered in dark, purple energy. It darted under Wartortle, before slamming the night slash into his underbelly. As Wartortle was sent flying from the impact, Scizor slammed into Absol with aerial ace.

"Power whip."

Absol took the full power whip to its head as it was driven through the deck. Absol became outlined in dark energy as it slammed into Ivysaur with payback. The impact knocked Ivysaur into Ash and sent him to the ground. Ash recalled Ivysaur just in time to see Wartortle slam into Absol with iron tail.

Absol's scythe sparked up as it sent a thunderbolt at them. Scizor swerved to avoid the attack while Wartortle used protect. Even with the protect, the thunderbolt pushed Wartortle backwards.

A ring of dark energy formed in Absol's mouth as it shot it at Scizor, knocking him out. Ash grit his teeth as he returned Scizor and sent out Blaze alongside Golduck.

"Flamethrower and double water gun."

Blaze's maw burst with flames as he sent it at Absol while Wartortle and Golduck used water gun. Using amazing speed, Absol darted past the attacks and slammed an iron tail into Golduck. Golduck staggered back at the force of the attack. Blaze crouched as he shot off with a dragon rush. Absol met him head on with giga impact and sent Blaze into the pool. Ash looked to his side to see that Blastoise, Emboar and Infernape were knocked down.

"Brick break."

Golduck's hand glowed orange as he ran at Absol. "Rapid spin." Wartortle attacked Absol with the spin attack, but was swatted away with an iron tail, letting Golduck's brick break to find a place on Absol's head. Despite been super-effective, it didn't look like it had done much damage. Absol's scythe sparked as a powerful thunderbolt lifted Golduck into the air, before slamming him down. "Flamethrower."

Blaze burst out of the pool as he sent a stream of flames that hit Absol in the face. The dark type fought back with its own flamethrower, and pushed Blaze's slowly back. A water gun from nowhere ripped through the air and slammed into Absol. Blaze intensified flamethrower as he pushed Absol back.

Absol ran at Wartortle with amazing speed, easily avoiding Blaze's flamethrower and Wartortle's water pulse. It slammed into the water type with a throat chop. Blaze angered at been ignored by the dark type zipped across the pool as he slammed into the dark type with a thunder punch. The impact cause Absol to yelp. Golduck appeared at its back and delivered a powerful cross chop that sent it to the ground. Ash's celebration was short-lived as Absol got up and knocked Golduck out with a devastating thunder attack. Ash couldn't even comprehend when Wartortle landed in front of him with cut marks on his hands and a broken shell.

"What the?"

Blaze shot a flamethrower at the blur that was Absol who was boosting its speed with agility. Pierce suddenly jerked his head upwards at the sound of planes. The ship was been approached by black planes bearing the Rocket logo.

"It's time," Pierce said as he returned Absol and released a large pokémon. It had black and blue scales and its hands were heads. All in all it had three heads and crazy looking wings. It was a Hydreigon. Arguably the most powerful if the pseudo-legendaries, but very hard to tame. It roared violently, shaking the air as it spat a flamethrower from the lead head at Ash and Blaze. Blaze got in front of Ash, but some part of the attack burned Ash's foot. He flinched slightly but he knew he would heal thanks to his aura. Pierce got on top of it.

"Get off the ship. It's time."

The boys watched as Petrel returned Sableye and released a large vulture-like pokémon. It had huge black wings and a surprisingly loud shriek which it used just now. It was a Mandibuzz. Archer returned Liepard as he released a large bird with blue black feathers on its body. It had a strong beak and white crown. Its wings were highlighted with a red hue. It was a Braviary. Proton had returned Crobat as he released a pokémon with blue feathers and a large white crest. Atop its head, the feathers seemed to form a hat of some sort. It was a Honchkrow.

After getting atop them, they took to the skies, above the ship as they watched it.

"Why'd they pull back?" Paul asked.

"I don't know, but whatever it is isn't going to be pretty," Ash said.

They looked up as the planes opened up to reveal a pokémon with a rubber toy-like appearance. Beside the pokémon was a grunt and they seemed to all be waiting for something. Soon, an orange red star could be seen from one of the planes. As it got closer, they could see that it was not a star but a freaking hyper beam attack.

"Run!" Gary yelled.

They were able to escape just in time. Just where they stood, the hyper beam had struck cleanly and made its way down to the bottom of the ship. The ship shook at the impact and soon enough, more hyper beams rained down. They were all struggling to not get hit by the attack, bit it was harder than expected.

"Argh.." Ash yelled as a steel bar fell in him. Much of the top deck had been destroyed and if they stayed any longer, they too will be gone.

They all helped pull Ash out from under the bar as they contemplated what to do.

"We need to get out of here before the St. Anne takes us with it," Trip said.

"Yeah but-"

Gary was cut off by the sound of structure collapsing. The area where they are began to give way. They got up as they struggled to get to higher ground. They began running as the deck collapsed behind them. They managed to make it in time and were able to catch a breather.

Ash watched as The Executives climbed higher and wondered if they were leaving.

"Is it over?" Paul asked.

Ash watched in horror as all the planes had that orange red glow. The worst was yet to come. He watched as hyper beams rained down on the St. Anne.

"We have to fly away," Ash said as he saw more of the ship collapse. He quickly got on Blaze as the Charizard became aloft. Gary released Pidgeotto and immediately got on top of her.

"Calm down girl," he said to her as he saw her worried expression. "I'm not injured, I promise."

Paul returned the rest of his pokémon and released Fearow. He quickly got on the flying type's back. Trip was apparently in possession of a Heracross and was currently riding him. They ascended a couple of feet in the air as they watched hyper beams rained down upon the St. Anne and anything near it.

Ash activated his aura sight as he watched what was shooting those hyper beams. He identified the pokémon to be Porygon-Z and from what he saw in their aura system, they were been controlled. His best bet was by the glowing red chips atop their heads. They countered dozen upon dozens of hyper beams that tore through the huge vessel that was the St. Anne. Team Rocket was not bluffing.

Pidgeotto suddenly shrieked as she ducked under a hyper beam. A couple of Porygon-Z had noticed them and was now giving chase.

"Fly!" Paul yelled as their pokémon took off at high speeds. Avoiding hyper beams as they did so. They raced away from the scene as they watched the pokémon tailing them. Blaze and the rest suddenly jerked as they avoided three incoming hyper beams frim in front. Their trainers turned to see three Porygon-Z approaching them from in front.

"Faster!" Ash yelled. The pokémon shot off, all the while avoiding hyper beams. Ash heard Gary call up ahead, and looked up to see Proton's Crobat coming in front. It too shot at them with hyper beam. "Descend," Paul called out.

All four pokémon descended towards the water, all the while still dodging hyper beams. This continued for long. A hyper beam narrowly missed Ash and Blaze. Ash decided to released Eevee and have her use shadow ball atop Blaze's back. Due to the fact that they were moving, they had no defense so he released her. As the normal type came out, she was a little bit surprised at the change in scenery. She turned to Ash.

"I'll explain later. Right now, I need you to take out those pokémon with your shadow ball."

Eevee nodded as she began launching the ghostly attack while Blaze flew. Ash celebrated slightly when it nailed Crobat in the chest. The move hardly did damage and only served to further irritate the poison type. It sped up towards them as it fired hyper beams.

"Need a little help," Ash called out. Trip released Mienfoo atop of Heracross and ordered her to use focus blast on the Porygon-Z. Mienfoo nodded as she began to fire the powerful fighting move. It took about ten of these to even take out one of those things.

Ash felt adrenaline rush through his entire body. His heart pumped blood faster throughout his body. The cold of the night would have sipped in through his skin, but thanks to Blaze's warmth and tail flame, it was all good.

They were chased back towards the burning St. Anne and Ash was surprised that the Porygon-Z weren't tired. Sooner or later they had to be. Ash smirked again as a shadow ball hit Crobat right before it launched hyper beam, causing it to explode. Ash realized that Blaze was getting tired and returned Eevee. He turned his body forward and yelled as a hyper beam nailed Blaze from the front. He blasted the assailant with flamethrower but it couldn't make up for the damaged wing that he just had. Seeing what was about to happen, Gary released Blastoise and had him catch Ash as he returned Blaze.

Ash flinched as he felt his body impact the water. It was icy cold and Ash knew that if he spent much time in here, he would catch a cold or even frost bite. He held unto Blast, not even trying to let go as the water type swam its fastest.

This exchange had slowed them down and they were pelted with hyper beams from the sky. All of them fell into the water as they returned their pokémon. After that shower if hyper beams, their pokémon were just too damaged to fly. They all hung unto Blast as he dove underwater and swam away.

**Thank God. I'm finally done with the St. Anne arc. Hope you all liked it. Ash won the finals of the St. Anne tournament against Trip. Was that great or what. Who enjoyed the battle? I know I enjoyed writing it. And what do you guys think about the battle between Blaze and Emboar? Please write it in your reviews. So Ash has a Zorua. What do you guys think? I hope this solves the issue of Ash not having a dark type pokémon. Team Rocket has attacked the St. Anne and has succeeded in destroying it with the help of mind controlled Porygon-Z. I'm still thinking of a name to give it. When I think of it, I'll say it. Ash and the gang finally take in the Executives or Admins and are totally trounced by them. Hope you look forward to the next chapter. Ash and the gang return back home and a member of the Elite Four appears. One of Gary's pokémon is going to evolve in the next chapter. I'm not sure I'll be adding any other evolutions in the chapter. All these happens in the next chapter. I don't know when I'll update but it will be out latest November ending or very early December. Once more, don't forget to Read and Review. draconian216 out.**


	13. The St Anne's Destruction

**Hello fanfic readers. It's never again, draconian216, bringing you another exciting chapter of Pokémon: Gotta Catch 'em All. This chapter marks the start of the Pallet arc, and also the destruction of the St. Anne. Gary's Pidgeotto, Mach, evolves in this chapter after they escape from Team Rocket. **

**In case you're lost in any way about the main characters and their pokémon, you can do well to check my profile. I have it down there. Without further delay, I give you chapter twelve.**

Chapter 12: The St. Anne Destroyed

Ash took a deep breath as Blastoise descended. Even while they were in the water, the Porygon-Z still gave chase and Blast had been almost struck by a couple of hyper beams. Some had grazed the large turtle and even them to some extent.

Ash had at a time released Butterfree and Beedrill, but they were knocked out sooner than he'd hoped. He looked at Blastoise. The water type was straining his self just to keep them safe. He had burn marks and grazes all over. The water was so cold and it didn't do any good for the wounds that they had.

Ash swore he heard Gary's ribs crack as he fell from Pidgeotto unto Blast's strong shell. He also had a bruise on his head. Ash had broken his leg and ribs when he was crushed by that steel bar. The time when Blaze was struck with hyper beam, that impact caused Blaze's claw to slash into Ash's, causing a deep wound. They were all pretty damaged badly and they needed medical attention-

A loud explosion attracted their attention. They turned towards the direction of the St. Anne and saw a large raging inferno. It had fully been destroyed. Scrap metal flying here and there as the huge ship sunk into the sea. Kyogre had taken it. Ash remembered a Hoenn Legendary Pokémon script that he had read some time ago. It said that 'whenever a ship sank, Kyogre had taken it to go rest with him at the bottom of the sea.' He took a deep breath. There was no saving the ship now. Suddenly the Porygon-Z all turned back towards the direction of the St. Anne.

"They're backing off?" Paul asked. His voice was hoarse from the amount of sea water he had consumed and the screams he had released. They all pretty much suffered that same fate.

"I think so," Trip responded.

"Let's get out of here before they think of coming back to search for us-"

An ear-splitting roar filled the air. Ash jerked his head forward to see a huge Gyarados making its way towards them. Ash heard Paul, Gary and Trip swear. He didn't blame them though. Of all the luck that they could possess, and they just wandered into a Gyarados' territory. It roared as it summoned a huge wave that slammed into them. They struggled to hold unto Blast for safety. Any wrong move and that was it. The Gyarados opened its maw as it charged a hyper beam.

"Duck!" Gary yelled to Blast.

They all took deep breaths as they felt the water envelope them once again. Ash looked up to see the hyper beam just sail over where they were. The place where they had once been sizzled as the water there evaporated. That was a close one. As Blast resurfaced, he was hit with a dragon pulse to the face. The impact sent Blast back into the water. Ash and the others couldn't hold on much longer and let go of the giant turtle. They struggled to surface back there before they died of lack of air. The Gyarados roared as they surfaced and it began to move in close. Was this it for them? Ash thought.

Acting fast, Blast resurfaced at amazing speeds and used rapid spin to slam into Gyarados. The impact jerked Gyarados' head to the left. The boys were all shocked as the Gyarados just shrugged off that attack that could snap a weaker pokémon's neck in half, and turned the massive serpent's attention to the water type. Ash yelled to the others to use their full restores on their knocked out pokémon. Soon, the ocean was filled with bursts of white light. Ash had released Golduck, Wartortle, Butterfree and Beedrill. Gary had released Krabby and Pidgeotto. Paul had released Fearow. Trip had released Heracross. It was an all out war. The Gyarados put up quite a fight as it blasted Heracross out of the sky with flamethrower. Luckily it wasn't that bad. Fearow and Pidgeotto were attacking it from the sky with steel wing and air slashes and wing attacks. Wartortle and Golduck were nailing it with water type moves like water gun, water pulse. Golduck was even using psychic moves. Things were looking good as Beedrill managed to poison Gyarados. Ash was feeling lucky but then something happened.

Another ear-splitting roar was heard as another Gyarados, probably drawn towards the sounds of their battle came. It was apparently smaller than the first Gyarados, but it didn't strike Ash as to be weak. It shot a powerful hyper beam at Blast, but luckily the water type was fast enough to use protect. Despite the emerald shield that was in front of the water type, the force at which Blast was knocked back was not good. If they were to continue like this, they would be dead.

A loud shriek was heard above them as Mach was covered in a blinding light. She was evolving. They all watched as her wings grew bigger and so did her body. Her shriek also grew louder as the light died down. She was no longer a little Pidgeotto but was now a fully grown Pidgeot. Gary was happy, but this was not the time to celebrate. Not while they were facing two surprisingly powerful Gyarados. The smaller Gyarados used a dragon tail to swat Fearow out of the sky, where the bird impacted the water with a huge force. Ash prayed to Arceus for a miracle because it looked like they were losing and losing fast. He was using his aura to help the pokémon by giving them part of his own strength. At the moment, losing his strength did not border him. If this could help them win the fight and escape, he didn't care what it took. As he did this, Gary communicated attacks to the various pokémon using his psychic abilities. Paul and Trip ensured that both of them were safe with Blast as they swam back and forth, applying full restores to pokémon that were knocked out and also using various medicine items.

Fearow took to the skies again, but was hit with a very powerful flamethrower from the smaller Gyarados and her feathers were burnt a great deal. The impact of the flamethrower launched her into Paul's direction. She went head first and her beak pierced his right lap. With a shocked expression on her face, she removed her beak, causing the boy to scream loudly. Paul tried sympathizing with the flying type that it was not her fault, but she still felt greatly sorry. They were in a tight spot, but it seemed like Arceus had answered their prayers, in the form of Golduck and Wartortle. Wartortle and Golduck used Aqua spin and focus blast, respectively on the poisoned Gyarados. The simultaneous attacks diverted the path of its hyper beam to the smaller Gyarados. The small Gyarados roared as it was hit in the face by the powerful beam of destruction. It fell face first into the water, conjuring up a huge wave that slammed into them and in particular really did a number on Trip as it sent him into Blast's shell.

"Argh..." Trip said as he held his head.

They continued their attack on the large Gyarados until it finally gave up. It was strong but just couldn't keep up with the poison coursing through its veins anymore and the relentless assault from their pokémon. It collided with the surface of the water, kicking up a large wave. They were able to withstand the wave, but they had to get out of there. There was no time to celebrate. What if another one of these monstrosities came?

Ash used his aura sight and was able to locate a small island some distance away. They all held unto Blast as the water type led them towards the island. Butterfree, Beedrill, Heracross and Fearow were knocked out. Mach, Wartortle and Golduck kept guard just in case they had a run-in with any crazy pokémon. Given the type of luck they had this night, anything was possible for them. It didn't take long before they reached the island. It was a relatively small patch of land in the middle of the sea.

Too tired to even talk, they leapt off of Blast and fell unto the dirt of the island, recalling their pokémon, before passing out pretty quickly.

**Melemele Island, Alola**

A light burst forth from a pokéball as a massive Hydreigon was released. "Hydreigon," a man called. The huge beast growled as it turned towards the man.

"We're heading to Kanto," the man said as he hopped on the large beast. "Full speed and don't stop for nothing. Something tragic has happened."

The massive beast flared its wings before shooting off at high speeds.

**Kanto**

Ash's eyes slowly opened. He flinched as the bright sunlight entered his eyes. His head hurt really painfully. He opened his eyes more and saw a blue pokémon with long neck and fin for hands and feet. It had a shell on its back. A Lapras? What was one doing here? Weren't they native to the Orange Islands. They hardly moved out and Ash didn't think it was migration time. Was it here to pick a fight? He turned his face and saw that Gary, Paul and Trip were out cold. He tried to move, but was too weak to do so. The Lapras noticed him and moved over to him. He tried to reach for his pokéballs but was too weak to even put forth his hand, and ended up groaning. The Lapras bounded over to him before licking him. The touch of its tongue was icy and he kind of enjoyed it.

A Mantine, Walrein and Dewgong were also ashore with them. He noticed the Lapras coo gently and understood it to be "we're here to rescue you." His body relaxed a little, but he still felt more pains. His lungs were definitely not the way they were. What caused this?

He groaned deeply as he remembered the St. Anne in flames and silently screamed. Lapras gently licked his face, calming him down. She lowered her head, gesturing for him to get on. He forced himself to his belly just as Gary, Paul and Trip also started stirring.

He slowly climbed unto Lapras, but no matter how careful he was, his body ached all over. He twisted his face to see Walrein carry Gary, Mantine carry Trip and Dewgong carry Paul. The pokémon made their way back into the water as they began swimming, and the world became dark.

Ash woke up to the sound of beeping. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Nurse Joy. He tries to get up but she stopped him. "Don't force yourself." And it all came back to him. He remembered screams and saw hyper beams. The St. Anne destroyed. "The St. Anne," he blurted out.

"Yes. It's no more. The St. Anne was destroyed three days ago."

Three days. He'd been out for three days. He opened up his mouth to speak, but Nurse Joy beat him to it. "Your friends Gary Oak, Paul Shinji and Trip are all okay. Like you they suffered broken bones and burns and bruises and a couple others. It's a miracle you guys didn't catch pneumonia. You were probably in the water for a long time. Also Leaf Green, Serena Sycamore, Misty Waterflower and Dawn Hikari made it here safely. So don't worry further about them."

Ash felt relieved but soon remembered the image of Blaze been hit in the wings with a hyper beam. "What about my pokémon?"

"Your Dratini, Eevee, Tyrunt, Elekid, and Clefairy are all fine. Your Wartortle and Golduck are completely worn out and have slightly deep cut marks and burns, but nothing I can't handle. Your Ivysaur and Scizor are pretty damaged but not as much as your Butterfree and Beedrill. Your Charizard is the problem. It took a pretty damaging move to its wing and it's broken. He won't be able to fly for some time."

Ash felt despair feel his heart. Blaze had a broken wing. That hyper beam from that Porygon-Z was pretty bad. Thank Arceus it was only the wing tip area. If it had been the base, it might have been permanent.

"Don't worry kid. I'll try my best to help all your pokémon. In the meantime you rest. You were out for three days. Even your friends had woken up two days ago. I checked you and from what I noticed, you were currently almost devoid of energy. It's a good thing the search party found you guys. If they didn't, you would have been dead," she said as she tucked him in.

Ash wasn't surprised. He had exhausted his body by sharing aura with the other pokémon. Ash went back to sleep for a couple of hours before he woke up to the sound of chatter. He glanced up to see two guys in the League's Ace Trainer uniform and another guy who was bare chested. He swore he knew the guy but his head was not in the right state to figure it out. He sat up and watched them carefully.

"So you're awake," the bare bodied man said. "I have questions for you and I do hope you answer them," the man said rather plain.

Ash just tilted his head in confusion at the guy. The man smirked and laughed slightly as he understood Ash's confusion.

"First off. I'm Bruno of the Kanto Elite Four." And it hit Ash. That's why he thought the guy looked farmiliar. He was the fighting type expert of Kanto, with his powerful Machamp. He was the second member of the elite four after Lorelei.

"Let's move on," he said as he noticed Ash's awestruck face. "Is it true that Team Rocket was responsible for the destruction and sinking of the St. Anne?" Ash nodded as clearly as he could at the moment. He was still recovering and needed lots of rest.

Bruno continued. "Who led the attack and how was the ship destroyed?"

Ash took a deep breath as he started explaining. "The attack was led by four executives or admins. Proton, Archer, Petrel and their leader Pierce. The only thing I could get was that Proton is their military commander. He killed the Captain and announced the take over of the ship. Proton, and the rest attacked me and my friends on the deck because we refused to join their cause. After about twenty-five minutes, Pierce said that 'it was time'. He and the rest of them took to pokémon that could fly as over thirty Team Rocket aircraft surrounded the St. Anne. The planes opened and Porygon-Z rained hyper beams down on the ship." Bruno's face tilted slightly.

"We got on our own flying types, and I noticed that the Porygon-Z were been controlled by a device. It caused an upset in their aura and amplified their attack and defense. We made to escape, but they took notice of us and began to chase us while spitting hyper beams, alongside Proton's Crobat. My Charizard took a clean hit to the wing and I was forced to go into the water. They rained more hyper beams and took out all our flying types and we had to swim with the help of my friend's Blastoise. They didn't let up until the St. Anne exploded. They returned but we were attacked by two powerful Gyarados. It was a miracle we defeated the Gyarados."

"That's pretty troublesome. The admins are at least Gym leader level and since you say that they even have a leader, he might be Elite four level and so would be their boss."

"Team Rocket has gone too far. The sinking of the St. Anne has dealt a major blow to the League."

"If I may ask. How did you find us?"

"After we heard reports of the St. Anne in trouble, we sent out a search party consisting of pokémon to look for survivors. The St. Anne did not respond to the routine check it made with Cinnabar Island's coast guard, so they knew something was up."

"How many survivors so far?"

"It's been three days and there are just a little more than six hundred survivors. The death toll was pretty high. An estimated two thousand people are unaccounted for. Most likely dead and far more pokémon lost than we can even count. As for the Gyarados you battled. You guys did a pretty good job taking them out. Few manage to do that with Gyarados as old as that."

Ash felt sad. For a cruise ship that was supposed to make people happy, the St. Anne had turned into a nightmare if death.

"One more thing Ash. Do well to steer clear of Team Rocket from now on. Avoid them at all costs." And Bruno left alongside the two Ace Trainers.

Ash's hands balled into fists as tears filled his eyes.

_Avoid them?!_

Team Rocket was dead as far as he was concerned. After the destruction of the St. Anne and the death of so many lives and pokémon, how could he just avoid them. It's their fault his Charizard is in Intensive Care. If he was going to be Pokémon Master, he was going to have to take on threats like Team Rocket. He swore vengeance upon them. They would pay deeply for their crimes.

A couple of minutes later, Nurse Joy came to see him. With her were his Eevee, Dratini, Volt, Clefairy and Tyrunt. They all dove at him and embraced him deeply and affectionately. He turned his gaze back to Nurse Joy and asked about his pokémon.

"Well, Wartortle and Golduck are completely drained of any and all energy they possessed. They're currently in a nutrient filled tank. They had a couple of wounds, Wartortle in particular and he lost some amount of blood. Golduck just had nasty electric burns. He'll recover perfectly and so will Wartortle. Beedrill and Butterfree are pretty bad. They have broken wings. Beedrill in part has a broken stinger and they are currently in a ward. Chansey and Blissey are attending to them, so things should go smoothly."

"Scizor and Ivysaur are also in pretty bad shape. Thankfully they had only taken hits from special moves. I have some grass type pokémon using heal moves on them and they should recover okay."

"And there's your Charizard. Parts of his right wing was completely blown off. If I'm not mistaken, he's still young right." Ash nodded. "Out of all your pokémon, he lost the most blood. I've applied Ditto cells to his wound and have also done a little surgery on him. He will recover, but it will take time. In the meantime you should also rest. You're not fully healed from your injuries too." With that, she left.

Ash sighed as he hugged those of his pokémon with him. Team Rocket had really outclassed him. He was going to get stronger and have his vengeance on them. He sighed as he fell back to his bed to sleep.

The next day, the doctor came to meet him. After a couple of checkups, the doctor told him that he could now see visitors. After his breakfast, Gary, Paul and Trip came to see him.

"Hey Ashy-boy," Gary said as he entered the room. Dratini was coiled on the bed beside Ash as he ran his hands over her scales. Eevee was curled up on the floor beside the bed. Tyrunt was belly up on the ground. Volt was lying lazily on one of the chairs and Clefairy was by the window side.

"Gary, Paul, Trip," Ash said as he sat up on his bed. Gary took a seat on the bed while. Paul carried Elekid from the chair and placed the Elekid on his lap and pit him back to sleep. Trip rested his body on the small cupboard in the room.

"How you holding up? You used up almost all your aura reserves," Gary said. Ash laughed slightly at what his best friend said. "Well. I'm not dead," Ash said.

"Still, to think Team Rocket could pull that off," Paul said in slight disbelief.

"Yeah. It really is shocking. Bruno also told us to stay away from them," Trip said. Ash, Gary, Paul and Trip all shared a look.

"How can I stay away?" Ash said. "Look what Team Rocket did. The St. Anne is destroyed and lots of human and pokémon lives were lost. Someone has to stop them."

"But that's not our job. The league will handle it," Trip said. Ash flared up slightly with aura as he remembered the St. Anne's destruction.

"Calm down Ash," Gary said as he tried to get into Ash's subconscious. He wouldn't mind if Trip and Paul didn't understand. Since they were little, they had heard various news of Team Rocket on the PokéNews. The crimes they committed were inhumane. They stole pokémon, poached pokémon and killed those who didn't cooperate.

"I'm not gonna stop until Team Rocket's annihilated. If they don't back down now, I'll make them," Ash said as he flared even more. "You've seen them. They're way beyond our league," Paul said.

"That's why I'm going to get stronger so I can challenge them."

"Not I. We," Gary said. "If you're doing it, I'm doing it also. Someone has to stop you from jumping into crazy situations. You do know you have a knack for getting into trouble."

"Then I think I'm gonna get in on this," Paul said, causing Ash, Trip and Gary to glance at him awkwardly. "What?! I can't let you guys get stronger by facing them and leave me in the dust."

"That makes three," Ash said as he turned to Trip. "Trip?"

The boy seemed to consider and contemplate his choices before answering. "What the heck? If I'm gonna become a member of the Elite Four or the role of Champion of Unova, I should be able to tackle stuff like this. So I'm in."

"That makes all four of us," Ash said with a grin. "It's not going to be easy, but we can handle it."

"Yeah. We're gonna need a lot of training. You remember what happened on the deck. We couldn't even knock out one of their pokémon," Paul said.

"In time we'll get there," Trip said.

"In other news. Gramps want us to meet back at home in Pallet Town. He also says the offer is open to our friends," Gary said as he turned to Paul and Trip.

"I don't know," Paul started but Gary didn't let him finish.

"Before you say no, Professor Oak was once the Champion of Kanto and knows a lot of pointers about training pokémon."

"We'll still need to think about-"

"Can I come in?" A voice called from behind the door. "Come in," Ash said. The door opened and a man walked in. He had spiky, jet-black hair and hazelnut eyes. He wore a poncho that covered his entire body and wore black boots. Beside him was a yellow humanoid pokémon. It had brown armor covering its body and shoulders. Brown kneepads and brown gloves. It held two spoons in its hands and had a long white mustache.

"Dad/Red?!" Both Ash and Gary said in unison.

"Hey boys," Red said. Paul and Trip just stood there awestruck. They were in the presence of the Pokémon Master. Master Red was there in front of them. "I take it that these are your friends," Red said as he gestured at Paul and Trip, snapping them out of their awe.

"Master Red. It's an honour. I'm Paul Shinji. It's such an honour to meet you sir, Mr. Ketchum sir."

"And I'm Trip. It really is an honour to meet you sir."

"Nice to meet you too, but please call me Red," Red said. "And Ash. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine dad. The Doctor said I can be discharged tomorrow."

"That's good. I take it you guys are going back to Pallet Town at Professor Oak's request."

"Yeah Dad."

"That's good. After the St. Anne incident. I imagine you guys need a lot of rest. You all need to heal both physically and mentally. Just because you can walk doesn't mean you're fully healed. And from what Bruno told me, your pokémon all need rest. Between the tournament and the encounter with the Rockets, they're pretty worn out."

He noticed Ash look down slightly.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to tell you not to fight the Rockets again. But I'm going to tell you this. I don't want you to devote your time going after them. You four have to enjoy your trainer lives. If you encounter the Rockets, you can engage them, but think of your pokémon. That's not a request but an order. And I expect you all to take it seriously. Understood?"

"Yes sir," they all responded.

"Now that that's settled. I have league work, but I'll be coming home to Pallet Town while you guys are still there, and I also want to see your mum. I've missed her cooking," he said as they all laughed. "Blue will also be coming home. After he heard you guys were involved in the St. Anne incident, he got mad and took his Blastoise. He single-handedly raided a suspected Team Rocket hideout in Pewter City."

"Really? Dad's gonna be there."

"Yeah and also Green. Professor Sycamore will also be coming to see Serena. Your mum's sister, Yellow will also be there. So you can all think of it as a large reunion, and from what I know, we might be surprised."

"Really? It's gonna be a blast."

"Yep. I'm sorry but this is all the time I have with you. I'll see you soon in Pallet Town."

"Dad. When you come, will we get to battle?"

"Sure thing Ash." And with that he teleported away.

"So," Gary said as he turned slowly towards Paul and Trip. "You change your mind?" He asked slyly.

"We changed our minds."

The boys continued their chat for some hours before leaving Ash and heading back to their rooms. They leave for Pallet Town tomorrow.

Morning came and Ash was discharged. He went to Nurse Joy and she gave him all his pokémon. Ash attached them to his belt as he, Gary, Paul and Trip went for a little sightseeing around Cinnabar Island. Soon it was noon and time to depart.

They headed for the docks where the girls were waiting for them. They boarded the ferry to take them to Pallet Town. It turned out, Dawn had agreed to go with them to Pallet Town to recover.

"You're late," Leaf said as they arrived.

"Sorry," Ash said. "We went sightseeing."

"Sorry ain't gonna cut it. Move your lazy butts into the ferry," she ordered.

"Move!" Ash said as they ran inside the ship. The journey to Pallet Town took about four hours. It wasn't that long, but it felt like forever. Ash jumped off the ferry as he took in the fresh Pallet Town air.

"Home sweet home," he said as he stretched his body. The trip had left his body pretty cramped in a way. "Wait up Ash," Gary said as the rest of them arrived. They all stretched also. Not only Ash was feeling cramped, obviously.

"Yeah, yeah. Race you to the lab," Ash said as he shot off. "No fair," Leaf said as she took off after him. "I'm not gonna be left behind," Gary said as he took off after them, with the rest following behind.

Soon they had arrived at Professor Oak's place. Ash was the first one there. He rung the doorbell causing a loud sound to echo throughout the building. "Coming," a female voice said. Ash wondered who the lady with the feminine voice was. It certainly wasn't his mum and sadly, Gary's mum was dead.

The door flung open and Ash could see a girl that looked to be about sixteen. She had brown hair similar to Gary's and she let it fall down. She wore a blue blouse and a black skirt and topped it off with a lab coat.

"Daisy?"

"Oh hi Ash. How's it going?"

"Umm...-"

"How dare you leave us Ash Satoshi Ketchum," Leaf said as she approached the building and pulled Ash by the ear. "Oh hi Daisy."

"Hi Leaf. How's it going?"

"It's going well."

"Not fair," Gary said as he and the others reached the lab. He paused as he saw the girl by the door. "Daisy?! Daisy," the boy said as he hugged her. She returned the hug with a big smile.

"How's my baby brother doing?"

"I'm not a baby anymore," Gary said as he pulled away from the hug. "What are you doing here. I thought you were in Unova with Professor Juniper?"

"I came back yesterday. And it was obviously for our little reunion party. Sorry about the St. Anne, and I'm glad you're okay. You and your friends."

"Before I forget. You remember Serena right," Gary said as he gestured to the honey-blonde. "Of course I do," Daisy responded. "This is Misty Waterflower, Paul Shinji, Dawn Hikari and Trip."

"Hi. Nice to meet you."

They all responded back with their greetings as she led them inside.

"So. Is Gramps home?"

"No, but he'll be back soon."

They chatted for a couple of minutes before both Ash and Leaf left for their houses. Meanwhile Serena and the others waited at the Professor's lab. Daisy had taken Gary upstairs, most likely to make sure he was okay. Paul had received a call from his brother Reggie when he was aboard the ferry to Pallet Town. Reggie has been extremely worried and was glad to see that he was safe and okay.

Ash arrived at the small white fence that surrounded his house. He unhooked the lock and made his way towards the door. It was surprising that he had not seen Mimey, his mum's Mr. Mime. Then again, maybe he was on an errand for her. He rang the doorbell and after a couple of seconds, he heard an answer. It was definitely his mum's voice and from the direction of her voice, he was one hundred percent sure that she was coming from the kitchen.

The door swung open, and before he could say anything, he was enveloped in a very powerful hug that might just give an Ursaring a run for its money. He hugged her back and she didn't let go of him until he said he couldn't breathe.

She ruffled his hair as she closed the door and led him inside where they both sat on the couch.

"My Ashy," Delia said as she sobbed slightly. "Thank Arceus you're okay. I was so worried when I saw the news that the St. Anne had sank. How did you manage?"

"It wasn't easy mum," Ash said as his eyes welled up. "I'm glad to be back home with you."

She threw her arms up as she hugged him tightly. They didn't break the hugs for minutes before Ash remembered the others. He told his mum about Paul, Trip, Dawn and Misty before heading back to the lab. Hugging his mum really helped a lot and he was happy about that.

He arrived at the lab only to find Professor Oak already there. He flinched as he met the Professor's hard gaze and from the looks of it, all had not been well. The girls were sobber, but not as the boys who had their heads down.

"Glad you're here Ash. Sit down."

Ash faithfully sat down with the other boys. He had a feeling he knew what the Professor was going to talk about. He waited for the scolding of a lifetime, but it never came. He looked up to see the Professor's face. He was sad and happy at the same time.

"I'm glad you all are safe, but as a parent, I have a couple of things to say to you four."

"What were you thinking, going up against Team Rocket like that. You could have been killed for goodness sake."

"What were we going to do Gramps? Just give them our pokémon," Gary said.

"I know you couldn't just give them your pokémon, but still... There are better ways to handle situations like that. You could have just made for the life boats after you heard they were there. At least they were the ones who attacked you and you didn't go looking for them. Team Rocket is a very dangerous criminal organization and they are very deadly. Please promise me you won't go looking for them."

"Nothing good comes out of dealing with them or going after them. You're all kids. You should enjoy your lives and not die young. Leave Team Rocket for the grown ups. You're all in your third month as trainers and because some of your pokémon are fully evolved, you think you can take on Team Rocket. I believe Bruno had already explained their power levels to each of you. They're way out of your league. Right now, as we speak, Team Rocket has been made a national threat and orders have been to all Gym leaders to take immediate action as deemed necessary."

"What about places without Gym leaders like Lavender Town?" Ash asked.

"Lavender Town has Agatha of the Elite four. The others have dozens of Officer Jennys backing them up."

"What about Pallet Town? I don't see no police force," Gary said.

"You forget that I was once Champion of Kanto in my prime, and I reigned for years before stepping down. I still have a couple of pokémon that could trounce yours without breaking a sweat," Oak said with a laugh. "Just because you had a win against them in a cave without Executives, doesn't mean that you'll get lucky all the time. I'm sure you all know what I mean and the best example is Ash's Charizard. Please understand. It's for your own good. I have your best interest at heart and I hope you all understand."

All four of them nodded their heads.

"Now, let's get this over with. You guys have come back here to take a short break, relax and unwind, but that doesn't mean that you won't train. You guys are all going to be at one with your pokémon, which brings us to the next thing. For the remainder of this period, you're all going to be sleeping inside the Corral with your pokémon. I talked to Bill and he sent me ten tents. Seeing as there are eight of you, it works out just fine." He walked over to each of them and handed a box over to all of them.

"As you set up your tents at your campsite, I want you all to take your time and rest. Don't rush yourself. Take time to heal physically and mentally." And he was done. Ash laughed in his heart. Sleep? He had already done enough sleeping. He was looking forward to training.

The octet chatted some more until it was seven in the evening. All lights had turned on and they had began their journey to choose a campsite. They were told that Ash's mum would send food to them ever morning as breakfast.

After some minutes of searching, they pick an area close to the only lake not inhabited by wild pokémon. After settling on that spot, they began to get their tents. All in all, it tool only about thirty minutes. The tent was relatively large and kind of fancy. Ash couldn't say he was surprised. It was Bill after all. It even came with its own bed. The mattress was soft and cozy. They were going to love sleeping there. Ash had a red tent, Gary had a blue tent, Leaf had a green tent, Misty had a yellow tent, Serena had a brown tent, Paul had a purple tent, Dawn had a pink tent and Trip had an orange tent.

"Ash!" they heard a voice say. They came out of their tents to see Delia running to them with a black pokémon by her side. Ash's smiled deeply as the black pokémon knocked him down. "Hey there Zorua. How have you been?"

Zorua growled lightly as Ash scratched under her neck and she completely gave in. "Hope she behaved?" Ash asked. "Of course she did, and a little heads up. You have another glutton on your hands."

Ash groaned as Zorua growled happily. They had dropped the rest of their pokémon with Oak as they went into their state of rest. Charizard was undergoing treatment with the Professor for his wing, and his Dratini was been cared for by Daisy. Unfortunately he had been joined by Zorua and soon Gary had company in the form of a Larvitar. The night was peaceful and blissful.

Ash was surprised that after that night's rest, they didn't have the energy to so anything for the day. They just formulated a eat and sleep routine as they gained strength. This routine lasted for four days, before Ash woke up with a great deal of strength in his . It also appeared so that the others had also done the same. After freshening up, Ash went with Zorua to Professor Oak's. He was going to begin training.

"Hey Ash," they all said as they got up too. They weren't going to be training together, but separately, but they all needed their pokémon. It took a few minutes for them to reach the lab. Before they got their pokémon, they went there first.

"I see you are all finally awake. You were out of commission for days," the Professor said. "How are you all doing?"

Various sounds of agreements came from the eight energetic kids. Oak smiled as one of his assistants brought their pokémon to them. It was going to be a long month and they all new it and the Professor had promised to supervise their training everyday.

They all left the lab and separated themselves to cover different areas of the corral. Ash took one of the paths that was closest to the forest area and had a lake too. He took Blaze's friend ball in his hand and pressed the release button. The fire type came out of his ball with a tiny growl. As Ash saw him, he hugged him. He had not seen his starter for days and he obviously missed him a lot.

"Blaze buddy. I'm so sorry," Ash said as he looked at the Charizard's right wing. It had almost fully healed but it would still be out of commission. "It's my fault you were wounded."

The Charizard hugged his trainer back as he tried comforting him, telling him that it was not his fault. "I'm glad you're okay buddy. We're gonna make Team Rocket pay next time they run into us."

As Blaze heard the words, Team Rocket he growled fiercely. He was upset at how he and the top pokémon had been completely outclassed by one Absol and they were unable to knock it out. He roared as he spat a flamethrower into the sky.

"Are you ready for a training session like no other?" The Charizard nodded before spotting the black pokémon at Ash's feet. He growled as he pointed at his feet.** (Hey guys, I decided to make a change in the way Ash understands pokémon. Instead of giving them a voice, I would use their normal growls and squeaks that he would be able to understand. If you don't like the change, you can PM me about it. Thanks). **

"Oh yeah buddy," he said as he released all his pokémon. Various flashes of light were seen as it materialized into his different pokémon. "Hey guys."

They each turned around with happiness as they saw him. They made various cries of greetings and asked him if he was okay. "I'm fine guys. Honest, and I'd like you to meet someone. This is Zorua. She'll be with us along our journey to become the best. Please be nice. As for those of you who aren't aware yet, we're at my home in Pallet Town and we will be staying here for sometime to train and bond. Who is with me?" They all cheered with their trainer. They were determined to train, especially those who were trounced by Team Rocket.

"Tyrunt, stone edge." Stone edge was a work in progress. Ash had taught the dual rock and dragon type the powerful move. He realized that he hadn't focused on Tyrunt enough and was ready to rectify it. Tyrunt had clearly been growing. He was now about four feet and ten inches in height. Far taller than most Tyrunt his age.

The Royal Heir Pokémon stepped forward. He jumped into the air and came down, releasing seven stone slabs from their ground prison. He paused slightly before repeating the process and releasing another set of stones. "That's enough," Ash told him.

The boy stepped forward. "We're not gonna be learning new moves or combo moves immediately, so I want you guys to practice your old moves on those stones. Don't stop until they're destroyed. I'll be back on a while." Ash turned towards the forest with Zorua and Emerald. It had been over two weeks since she hatched and the Professor had given him the go-ahead to begin training her.

"Alright guys, I brought you here to see what you both can do. If I'm not mistaken, I haven't scanned you Dratini." He took out his pokédex as he scanned her.

"Dratini, the Dragon Pokémon.

"This Dratini is female and knows the moves Leer, wrap, twister and thunder wave. It knows the egg moves dragon breath, dragon dance, dragon pulse, dragon rush and extreme speed. It has the ability shed skin and the hidden anility marvel scale. Unknown genetic makeup found. Storing data."

'Unknown genetic makeup?' Ash asked himself before realizing that it was the Mountain's Height form. Dratini was the weakest pokémon he had right now, due to the fact that she just hatched a few weeks ago. Professor Oak had also told him that he had taught her twister, so that should be enough. As for Zorua, he had no doubts that she was strong and was probably at Eevee's level.

"Alright Emerald. Use twister." Emerald took on a stance as she brought her tail in front of her. She spun it as she released draconic energy in the form of a small tornado. The impact shook the tree it hit slightly. The move probably won't do much against strong opponents rather than irritate them. It might just do more against weaker opponents, but that wasn't a guarantee. The other moves leer and thunder wave were status moves. As for wrap, that wasn't an issue. The Dratini was almost five feet in length.

Ash turned his attention to Zorua. "Fury swipes." He watched as Zorua flexed her arms as she unsheath her claws. She applied pressure to her feet as she leapt at a tree and began slashing it multiple times. The impact left several scratch marks on the tree bark. One thing was for sure. Zorua was fierce.

Ash took time to remember the next move before calling it out. "Pursuit." Zorua tensed her legs as she glowed with chaotic energy. She shot off and rammed into the tree, shaking it and causing leaves to rain down. Ash's eyes widened slightly at the force of the impact. Zorua turned towards him, waiting for him to call her next move.

"Umm... Dark pulse." Zorua growled as she opened her mouth and charged a chain of dark rings. She launched the attack at the tree and leveled a part of its bark. Now that was something. The dark type walked up to him and sat I'm front of him. She looked up to him for assessment.

"That was amazing Zorua. You're obviously stronger than you look. You too Dratini. You're both up to good starts. Let's head back to the others."

Both pokémon nodded as they strode beside their trainer. Ash looked at Emerald. She had only one particular move and that was twister. He intended to teach her iron tail and shockwave as a start. As for Zorua, she had only one special move. The rest required her to make contact with the target. He had thought of a good special attack for her to counter fighting types. He was going to teach her dream eater and yawn. They soon reached their training area and Ash saw that all boulders were destroyed.

"Okay guys. I'm gonna return you all to give you your moves. It should just take a few minutes." He returned all of them as he took out his TM case. He had a couple of moves to work on with them. Namely, TM moves and some tutor moves. There was a lot of issues on the pokédex concerning pokémon moves that he wanted to fix. How could a Staraptor learn Close Combat and a fighting type like Toxicroak can't learn it. Makes no sense. He was going to have them learn a TM move each before teaching them other moves and perhaps combo moves.

To Blaze he had given Bulldoze. He had wanted to teach Blaze stone edge, but the way TMs were designed, a Charizard could not learn stone edge via TM. To Golduck he had given the shadow ball TM. To Volt he had given the rain dance TM. To Butterfree and Beedrill he had given a solar beam TM. Ivysaur was going to handle that part. To Scizor he had given a light screen TM. To Tyrunt he had given a dark pulse TM. To Clefairy he had given a reflect. To Eevee he had given a work up TM. To Ivysaur he had given a toxic TM. To Wartortle he had given a scald TM. To Dratini he had given a thunderbolt TM. To Zorua he had given a payback TM.

After he was done, he released them from their balls. "Okay. I've taught you new moves via TM. Now let's see what you can do. First up, it's Blaze."

The fire type growled as he stepped forward. "Tyrunt a stone edge please." The dual type slammed his feet into the ground as he erected one giant sharp stone.

"Alright Blaze. The move I taught you was bulldoze." He took his Xtransceiver as he showed Blaze a video of a Rhydon using bulldoze. The technique might be a tad bit difficult for Blaze to learn, but the fire type was up for it. After seeing the video, he turned to Ash. From what Ash knew, bulldoze was a move that involved the user stomping the ground and dealing damage to targets.

"Try to get a feel for ground energy. The energy of the earth. When you do, stomp on the ground and send that energy at the stone while moving towards it."

Blaze nodded as he closed his eyes for some seconds. He opened them as he began stomping his feet as he got closer to the slab. The result was a very faint tremor in the earth, but nothing to the stone. He turned to Ash for assessment. "That was a good first try. Keep working on it. I want the stone to break. You can do it buddy," Ash said with a thumbs up.

"Golduck. You're up. I gave you the move shadow ball." He took his Xtransceiver and showed Golduck a Gengar using shadow ball. The user basically had to just form a blob of otherworldly energy. Tyrunt had just erected another stone edge. "What you'll be doing is forming a blob of ghost energy. First try to get a feel for the energy like you do with psychic. Since the energy is dead, just think of the other side and try to get it down."

Ash turned to his next pokémon as Golduck got down to work. "Volt, you're gonna be working in rain dance. It's a move that increases the lethality of your electric attacks." He showed the electric type a clip of an Electabuzz using the move. It involved the user summoning rain. Easier said than done. "Volt. I want you to try your best to manipulate the electrons in the sky, pull them together and against each other. Doing so, you'll create lightning and then bring an atmosphere for rain, I think. It's worth a shot. Try it."

Volt nodded as he cracked his hands while Ash left. "Butterfree and Beedrill. You're together."

And that was how he went about explaining to them

Solarbeam was just a beam of light powered by grass energy.

Light screen was a psychic move. It involved coating light with psychic energy in order to reduce damage from special attacks. The drawback was that some physical moves like brick break can break the light screen.

Dark pulse was a dark type move. The user gathers dark energy imbued with dark thoughts and unleashes it at the target. The impact causes an explosion of dark energy. It also had a chance of making the target flinch.

Reflect was a psychic type move. The user coats light similar to that of light screen but this wall protects against damage from physical moves. The drawback was that special moves like aura sphere can break it.

Work up, toxic and thunderbolt were moves he already knew of. Scald was a special and unique move. It was a water type move with the burn properties of a fire move. The user blasts the target with a jet of boiling water that may burn the user.

Payback was a dark type move. The user stores power from a damaging move before slamming the user with double the damage with dark type energy.

**Moments Later**

"How's bulldoze coming Blaze?" Ash asked the fire type. The pseudo-dragon grunted as he closed his eyes. Seconds later, he opened his eyes as he began stomping. He sent ground type energy at the stone, causing it to rumble. Ash nodded at the result. It was far, very far from been refined, but it was a start. The technique wasn't ready in any way to be used in a battle.

"Good job Blaze, but it needs more work. Now that you've gotten a grasp on the move, make it your major practice and throw in your other moves. The fire type grunted as he blasted the stone with flamethrower, charring it. His flames have been getting closer to turning blue. Ash turned around and made his way to Golduck.

Golduck nodded as he saw Ash. He cupped both hands together as he tried forming a blob of ghostly energy. The attack took a lot of time to form a shadow ball. The size of the ball was fairly average. Golduck launched the attack at the stone, but it fizzed out mid-flight. Golduck grunted in frustration.

"Don't worry buddy, you'll get it down. It just needs some more practice," he said as he patted the Duck on his head before striding away.

He walked to where Volt was currently practicing rain dance. Currently, the electric type had only been able to make it drizzle for about ten seconds before it stopped. Been the prankster he was, Volt understood that if he was able to get this move down, it would be a great addition to his prankster arsenal.

Beedrill and Butterfree had gone to meet Blaze and they had grasped solar beam to a certain level. They were both able to form the beam, but it was not strong enough to completely eradicate a stone edge.

Going around and checking on them, they still had a lot to do before they could get down the moves.

"Great job!" Ash said in joy as Blaze casually bulldozed the stone edge. They had been working on their TM moves during the last few days and Ash could confidently say that Blaze could use the move in battle and deal a great deal of damage with the move. "Bulldoze."

Blaze turned towards his sparring partner, Wartortle, as he made to use the move. Bulldoze slammed into Wartortle and he retaliated with a scald to Blaze's chest. The fire type took the attack with a small grunt. The attack wasn't what affected Blaze, but the water typing was what dealt the damage. Blaze's wing had also fully healed, but he hasn't started flying just yet.

Ash left the two pokémon to their spar before going to check on Zorua and Volt. He came just in time for Volt to use rain dance. Volt waved his hands back and forth, manipulating the electrons in the atmosphere. Lightning flashed as rain began to fall. The rain wasn't as powerful as a mastered rain dance. He unleashed a thundershock that slammed into Zorua. The Zorua took the thundershock before glowing a dark red as she slammed into Volt with payback. The impact sent Volt into a tree.

Zorua had certainly gotten payback down easily. He smiled. "Nice job guys. Keep it up." With that he walked away.

Beedrill and Butterfree were up against Ivysaur. Ivysaur had gotten toxic down with ease, so he was currently testing their solar beam attacks. Both Butterfree and Beedrill fired a simultaneous solar beam. The beams sent were slightly smaller than average. Ivysaur met the beam head on with his own. Ivysaur's solar beam met theirs head-on in a stalemate and an explosion.

"Great job you guys. Nice job on teaching them solar beam, Ivysaur." Ivysaur grunted as he waved his vines in the air.

Ash went on ahead to check on Golduck and Scizor were sparring. Golduck formed the sphere of ghostly energy faster than his first try and launched it at Scizor's who had already used light screen. The move slammed into Scizor and exploded, causing the screen to flare up, but it maintained itself. Light screen and shadow ball were coming just fine.

Eevee and Clefairy were sparring together. Eevee tensed herself as her body glowed before slamming herself into Clefairy with quick attack. The momentum from the quick attack had launched her back as reflect flared up. It had done its job, but not as Ash had wanted. It was a start and they were getting there.

He moved on to see Tyrunt and Dratini. "Show me a thunderbolt Emerald." The dragon type trilled as her gem sparked with lightning. She launched the powerful bolt of lightning at Tyrunt who Ash had ordered to use dark pulse. Tyrunt retaliated with the powerful Dak and purple circle beam. Thunderbolt met dark pulse and was obliterated. Luckily, she evaded the attack easily.

Their sparring had gone on for hours before Ash called Dratini. He took her to where Blaze was working on bulldoze. "Hey Blaze?" The fire type whipped his head back as he heard his trainer's voice. He bounded over to the duo before reaching down for Ash to scratch him. Despite how big and menacing he looked, the Charizard loved those scratches and was swishing his tail, back and forth, happily.

"I want you to teach Emerald flamethrower." The fire type tilted his head at the sound of that. "In terms of well, build. I think that's it. You two are the closest. Your move pools are also similar, so you're the best bet to teach her. What'd you say buddy?" Blaze grunted as if saying I don't know. He grunted again.

"What's in it for you?! I'll give you ten passho berries. Deal?" He held out his hand for the dragon to shake. With a loud grunt Blaze shook his trainer and motioned the Dratini over. Ash watched as Blaze grunted. He was telling her about flamethrower. He took in a deep breath as he released a torrent of flames from his mouth before telling Emerald to do the same. Ash watched as she sucked in air and released a stream of smoke with very tiny ember fragments.

Ash decided to leave them, seeing as Blase had it under control.

Ash was currently resting under a tree. He had already given command to his team to practice their moves. He was sure Blaze and Emerald were still learning flamethrower. He had already worked on the moves they were to learn and even cimbo moves. He was resting peacefully when barking woke him up. It was Professor Oak's Arcanine.

The fire type approached him while wagging her tail. Ash reached out to her and ruffled her fur. "What is it girl?" She barked. "What do you mean Gary is about to battle the Professor. Where?" She barked more as she turned around. "At the training yard. Let's go." He jumped on her back as she took off. During the short trip, Ash felt as if his face turned inside out. He had just witnessed Arcanine's extreme speed. An idea struck him. What if Arcanine helped Emerald with extreme speed? That would be for later. Right now, he had to see this battle.

They reached the battlefield and everyone was gathered, including Delia and Daisy. Both the Professor and Gary were on the field and Oak's Alakazam was out, ever ready to prevent stray attacks from hitting anyone and repairing the field.

"What are the rules?" Professor Oak asked.

"A three-on-three knockout battle."

"You're on," Oak said as he enlarged a pokéball and tossed it into the air. Out of the pokéball came a large armoured purple pokémon. It had large ears and a large horn on its head. It had many numerous spines that ran across its back and a large powerful tail. It had huge legs with a single claw and had an ear-piercing roar. It was a Nidoking. Ash had seen a Nidoking before, but this was a massive six foot tall, compared to the average four foot seven that some Nidoking are, and its tail was at least five feet. Its horn was about eleven inches and its fangs were at least three inches.

Ash watched as Gary countered with Absol. The Disaster pokémon took on a fighting stance as it eyed Nidoking.

"Your move... Rookie," Oak said, causing everyone to gasp and wait for Gary's comeback.

"You'll be sorry old man," Gary said as everyone laughed. "Absol zen headbutt."

Absol crouched slightly as her head became enveloped in psychic energy as she shot off at Nidoking using quick attack.

"Let's take it easy. Stone edge."

Nidoking roared as he slammed his tail into the ground, as sharp stones erected from below and slammed into Absol, sending her flying. Absol slowly got up and took a fighting stance in front of her trainer.

_'Guess we can't get close.'_ "Use ice beam." Absol opened her mouth as arcs of icy energy sailed through the air and made their way towards Nidoking. The Drill Pokémon merely took the attack head-on as he made his way towards Absol. Everyone got shocked expressions on their face as Nidoking just walked forward even with the very super-effective attack struck him, like it was nothing.

"Damn. Absol switch to blizzard."

Ash smirked. Gary had been busy with TMs. Absol switched from ice beam to blizzard, but still nothing. He decided play time was over and made his move. "Megahorn." Without missing a beat, Nidoking rammed his glowing horn into Absol and sent the dark type into the air, flying over Gary. Alakazam caught the dark type and declared it knocked out.

Two moves was all it took to knock out the dark type. Ash was getting excited. He too would have to battle the Professor. He told Arcanine to help him gather his pokémon here. He turned his eyes towards the battlefield in time to see Professor Oak release the female variant of Nidoking, it was Nidoqueen.

Gary responded by releasing a huge Arcanine. He must have evolved Growlithe. The Arcanine was almost as tall as Oak's.

"Arcanine, flamethrower."

The fire type opened its mouth as it set loose a torrent of flames directed at Nidoqueen. The Drill Pokémon just stood there before placing her hands in front of her as she erected a green barrier that blocked flamethrower.

"Sunny day and solar beam." Arcanine launched a glowing red orb into the sky, increasing the intensity of the sun. He charged a yellow white orb of grass energy before firing it as a beam at Nidoqueen. "Flamethrower."

Nidoqueen did not respond until the beam was almost in front of her face. Her flamethrower psuhed the beam back before causing it explode in front of Arcanine.

"Arcanine!"

"Surf."

Nidoqueen slammed her tail on the ground as she summoned a huge surf. The surf slammed into Arcanine and knocked him out. "No way."

"Yes way. I was a former champion of Kanto. I and my pokémon may have grown old, but we have years of experience to back us up." At that moment, Arcanine came by with Ash's pokémon. As Oak saw them he smiled.

"Now Gary. For the final battle, I give you the chance to face one member of my elite. Do you accept?" He asked the brunette boy. "Hell yeah," the boy responded as he clenched Blast's pokéball.

Oak hurled a pokéball unto the field as he released a large pokémon. It was a shade of blue with a white underbelly. It had a round face and squinted eyes. "_Snore!_," It said as it impacted the ground. It turned back as it faced the Professor. "Snore?"

"Easy Snorlax. We're about to battle. You up for it?"

It nodded its head as if to say 'ever ready.' It turned around to face Gary and roared. "Snorlax!" Gary felt like he was about to wet himself, but he mustered strength and stood up against the colossal giant. If Ash had not known better, he would have said that this Snorlax had a Mountain's Height form, but it didn't. While average Snorlax were six foot eleven at height. This one was about twelve feet, somewhere close to thirteen inches. He might have said this was the biggest Snorlax, but he had met his Dad's Kings Species Snorlax that was over twenty feet.

Ash released Blast from his friend ball to face Snorlax. The water type came out with a grunt, but on seeing Snorlax, it backed up slightly. "Blast?" He asked Gary. "We're battling him." Blast nodded as he flexed his cannons.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Rapid blizzard." Blast tucked himself inside his shell, leaving only his head as he froze the entire place. The blizzard was able to form a small layer of ice on Snorlax, but it merely irritated him. Snorlax casually broke free of the ice and just stood still.

Blast landed on the opposite side of the field. After accessing Snorlax, he gave his next attack. "Skull bash." Blast bent his head before shooting off and ramming Snorlax with his head. Snorlax apparently did not like the move and gave Blastoise a punch to the gut, sending him back to Gary. Blast stood up and Gary began ordering a barrage of water gun. All doing nothing to the skin of the normal type.

"Flash pump." Blast bellowed as he pointed both cannons at Snorlax. One glowed white while the other glowed blue. He shot a flash cannon and a hydro pump at Snorlax. Mid-flight, the flash cannon entangled itself around the hydro pump, causing the move to glow a very bright white. The attack struck Snorlax clean in the belly and he grunted a little, but was otherwise okay. On his belly was a tiny scratch. That was Blast's strongest move and Snorlax just shrugged it off as nothing.

"Heavy slam." Gary cursed a little because the move left Blast completely drained for minutes. Snorlax jumped high into the air as his body was reinforced with steel energy. He crushed Blastoise beneath his bulk, shaking the entire ground. He casually got up, allowing Gary to return Blast. Alakazam took the friend ball and teleported it away for healing.

"Assessment complete. You still need a lot of work before you get to become the best. You have fine pokémon and I know you have a brain that comes up with the best strategies on seeing the opponent. Use it well."

"Yeah Gramps," Gary said as he went to take a seat behind the barrier. He was far from the top. He had a lot of training to do.

"Who's next for the assessment?" Oak asked and Ash responded. He walked up to the field with three friend ball as Nidoking stepped forward. Ash released Ivysaue to face the massive ground type.

"Petal dance followed by leaf storm." Ivysaur released multiple petals and a storm of leaves as they made their way towards Nidoking. "Flamethrower." From Nidoking's mouth came a stream of blue flames that burnt all the petals and leaves to a crisps, before making its way at Ivysaur.

"Protect." Ivysaur quickly threw up the green barrier and it managed to withstand the flames until a sharp stone slammed into it and broke it. Nidoking had used stone edge to break protect and had kept on launching the sharp stones at Ivysaur. "Dodge with your vines and use solar beam when you have the chance."

Ivysaur nodded as he avoided the sharp stones that were sent at him. After dodging a couple of stones, he stood and began charging solar beam and it was charged faster thanks to sunny day that was still in effect. Ivysaur launched the beam, but was met with a fire blast from Nidoking. The fire blast dispersed solar beam and hit Ivysaur, knocking him out.

Ash gritted his teeth as he returned Ivysaur and watched as Nidoqueen stepped forward. He took Wartortle's ball and sent him out. Wartortle quickly brought out his dark shades and took on a stance. "Withdraw and water pulse."

Wartortle retracted into his shell as he raised his defense before shooting a water pulse at Nidoqueen. The large pokémon just bit into the water pulse casually, letting it to explode in front of her face. Unfortunately she didn't see the ice beam that met her face. She grunted as the ice hit her. "Rapid spin and scald when you get close."

Wartortle retracted into his shell and began spinning violently as he made towards Nidoqueen. Nearing the Drill Pokémon, he popped out, but before he could use scald, he was met with a thunderbolt to the face. Wartortle was launched back to his trainer's spot on the field.

"Earthquake." Nidoqueen raised her feet as she stomped the ground so strong that it sent a massive shockwave through the ground that caused it to explode beneath Wartortle and knock him out. That was the power of an earthquake attack. He grit his teeth as he held Blaze's friend ball and released him to counter Snorlax.

"Flamethrower to his feet. Flank him." Blaze nodded as he took off into the air, breathing flames down at Snorlax's feet. Snorlax just stood there like nothing was wrong. Realizing that it was not working, Ash changed tactics. "Dragon pulse. Don't stop."

Blaze nodded as he assaulted Snorlax with the dragon move, but it still did nothing to Snorlax's powerful skin. "Dragon rush." Blaze became enveloped in draconic energy as he charged Snorlax. "Iron head."

Snorlax's head attained a metallic sheen as he slammed it at Blaze's incoming body. The collision sent Blaze into the ground where he struggled to get up. "Heavy slam." Snorlax jumped up as he came down towards Blaze with the same move that took out Blast.

"Aerial ace." Blaze shot off with the flying type move as he blurred away faster than Snorlax could keep up in his falling state. Blaze appeared a second later as he slammed into Snorlax's back. He took off again as Snorlax slammed the ground. The normal type got up as if he hadn't just fallen from the sky.

"Flare blitz!" Blaze became completely shrouded in fierce flames with a large hint of blue in them. He quickly charged at Snorlax with the powerful fire move. "Hydro pump."

"Not again," Ash said as he remembered Blaze vs the Elder Clefable. The hydro pump slammed into Blaze, causing him to roar in pains. The move sent him to the ground where he was knocked out.

"Anyone else." No one answered. "I thought so. You all are probably thinking, if Ash can't beat me, then none of you can, since he is the stronger one of all of you." He was right. That was what they all were doing.

"Well. It's obvious you all still need a lot of work. Your pokémon defenses are weak and some of your attacks aren't that refined enough. To be honest, from the St. Anne tournament, I noticed that only your starters actually made a difference. There's no point in learning new moves if the old ones aren't refined. "If it will help, I have a schedule to help in your training. You all will receive it tomorrow. But remember this, have your starters help in the training of your other pokémon since they're the only ones that seem strong enough."

"I have good news. Red went to Galar and got to talk with their champion. The region has finally decided to open up to the world. So there's a chance that in your journey you may encounter one of them. I'll be going to Galar to talk with their regional Professor and share data on the pokédex. So you'll soon have data on Galar pokémon. The Galar champion challenged Red to a battle to determine who would be the Pokémon Master, to be held tonight. Since Galar had not been participating in the normal international activities." They all cheered. The Galar region had been cut off from the world for years and this was a chance for them to get to know and befriend the region. And Ash was one hundred percent sure his Dad would win the battle.

"That's all. No training for today. I want you guys to go back to your tents and come up with a battle style that will accommodate all your pokémon. As you have all seen, my pokémon like to employ one battle style. They like to tank attacks and hit hard. Then train your pokémon according to that battle style. You're dismissed."

As he said this, they left the battlefield and went back to their tents to sleep. It was around six in the evening and about one hour before dinner. He turned on his Xtransceiver and opened the note page to write down the training styles for each of them. He first had to incorporate their battle style to go hand in hand with his own unorthodox battle style.

First was Emerald. The Dratini was fast that was for sure, and the battle style he had to train with should be able to be adapted to her final stage as a Dragonite. The perfect style he saw for her was to attack with speed and then dart away with speed. Repeating continuously throughout the stage of battle. Her moves should consist of speed based moves and attacking with speed. It was a good thing she had extreme speed as an egg move. He would work on her speed until she would become very fast. And it would help in her giant Mountain's Height form. He wrote it down under the title Emerald.

Next was Zorua. Since the dark type had been with him, he had noticed this main thing in her battle style. She was a fierce, relentless attacker. She did not hold back when attacking unless told so. In order for her to attack continuously, she had to have a good enough defense so that she could take certain hits. Her moves should consist of attack raising moves. Her illusion could also be used as a front for powerful attacks. She should also have defensive moves and powerful attacks.

Tyrunt was next. The dual rock and dragon type had four times the power of normal Tyrunt thanks to his Kings Species gene. Due to that his defense was high, and it was something Ash wasn't exploiting. Tyrunt had also displayed a tendency to tank hits and strike with amazing power because he was slow as well. Ash would do well to teach him powerful moves like earthquake and exploit his ability strong jaw. Tyrunt would also need to learn some defense moves.

Volt was a trickish case. He liked to surprise opponents in battle and attack with a shock. He also preferred to imobolize them and deal powerful blows or tank their hits to get close to them and strike. Ash pondered on it before deciding on the surprise and attack. After all, that style incorporated both tanking and immobolizing. His moves would consist of powerful attacks and he would need to work on his defense and attack power. Moves that could stun were not an exception. That was it.

Scizor was also one he had neglected. The steel type had amazing defense that Ash had not exploited. Thanks to his ability light metal, he could move about easily. Scizor's fighting style would be a tank, strike or grab style. His moves would consist of defense enhancing moves and quick powerful strikes or grabbing them with his pincers for a close range attack. He would also find a way to incorporate flight in the battle style.

Ivysaur and Wartortle had the same fighting styles. It evolved them taking hits while also hitting back with powerful moves to wear down the target. He would have to work on their defense.

Concerning Eevee, he wouldn't be able to work on a battle style until she decided to evolve.

Golduck's fighting style as described by the pokédex was disabling and capturing. Ash thought about it. Golduck was fast and he knew disable well and had powerful attacks. The fighting style would suit him perfectly. Disable and destroy. He would have to teach Golduck moves like Psychic and powerful hitting moves to back it up. Yeah that was it.

What fighting type could suit Clefairy? From what he could see about Clefairy. Her battle style consisted of upfront and direct attacks. If she would continue to do that, she needed to have a strong defense and powerful hitting moves. Psychic was definitely a taken. The would be of great help to her. That was it.

Beedrill was a pretty easy one to get. The bug type worked better in swarms. It would figure that her battle style would be one of Invade and Subdue. Moves that reduced a pokémon evasion would be good. So would be moves that poisoned a pokémon and moves that prevented location from been determined like double team.

Butterfree was a different case. Its battle style from what Ash was able to pick up was that Butterfree liked to blast opponents with attack and weaken them with status moves and draw them out, tiring them, and evasion moves and shutting them down with powerful moves. Ash had considered teaching him moves like defog. Ash called the style Weaken and Shut down. Here. It was perfect it.

Blaze was the final case. His battle style wasn't distinct or unique, but the way he employed it was. He preferred to hit with powerful long-range and occasionally short-range moves, using status moves to boost himself and also tank some hits. The battle style was to rain power on any target that faced him. Ash was going to teach him mostly powerful damaging special moves and some physical moves that dealt great damage. Ash called it Power shower.

He was done with their battle styles and had worked out a list of moves that would go well with their styles before he was called out for dinner. He came out of his tent and saw that the others were all seated.

"Hey guys," he said as he took a spot. "What were you doing?" Gary asked the raven-haired trainer. "Just working on my pokémon's battle styles and moves to incorporate with them."

"Already?" Leaf asked.

"Yeah. His beat down made what Team Rocket did on the St. Anne look like Child's play. And supposedly the Elite four are as strong as that. And think of the Champions. I need to step up my game."

"Well, before we turn this dinner into a battle tactics site. How do you guys think the Galar region will be?" Serena asked.

"We won't know until tomorrow," Misty said.

"I can't believe Galar finally agreed to open up to the other regions. I wonder what their starter would be like," Dawn said. "Whatever they have. I just hope they have strong pokémon," Paul said.

"Yeah. I bet they also have something to offer to the table. I mean like how Kanto helped us with pokémon evolution, and also introduced us to terms like pseudo-legendaries and were the first region to have eeveelutions. Three for that matter. Kanto was also the first region to have a pokédex, thanks to Professor Oak. Kanto was also the first to identify pokémon under various types. The items weren't that impressive as technology was still developing. Kanto also introduced the world to branched evolutions."

"Johto gave us two other eeveelutions. They also gave us the metal coat that allowed Onix and Scyther evolve. Johto was also the first region to discover fossils. I think that was all Johto gave us." Gary said and they laughed. "Hoenn didn't give us any evolutions, but in depth study from their regional professor, Professor Birch. He discovered that pokémon had abilities that was responsible for some certain crazy things at that time. Hoenn also brought the Battle Frontier to us that no trainer had conquered yet. They also intoduced us to Pokémon Contests."

"Sinnoh also gave us another Battle Frontier. Sinnoh's Professor Rowan had also created artificial evolutionary materials like the reaper cloth, for Dusclop's evolution. Sinnoh also intoduced two eeveelutions and their evolutionary materials."

"Unova had given us the most aggressive pseudo-legendary, Hydreigon and also Darmanitam that changes form based on its HP."

"Kalos had given us mega evolution. A now very important part of our world. Alola had given us Z-moves that were extremely powerful and even Alolan variants. Would Galar have Galarian variants or something like mega evolution?"

"We'll just have to wait for tomorrow when my Dad gets back."

They continued their chit chat for some hours before crashing.

Morning came and Ash was ready to begin serious training for the day. He went to his training area and released all his pokémon. "Hope you guys are ready. Training is going to be a bit different. As a warm up, go over the moves we've been working on and add in a couple of old moves. I'm going to meet Professor Oak. I'll be back soon."

He ran towards the lab. He wanted to check if the professor would agree on these battle styles. On reaching the lab, the professor was standing outside. "Professor Oak!" He called as he reached the man.

"Oh. Ash my boy," he said as he saw him. "You're just in time."

"In time for what?" Ash asked as he stopped in front of him. "That," Oak said as he pointed at the sky. Ash looked up an noticed a black shadow with wings. The figure got close and it made an ear-shattering roar. Ash soon made the figure out to be a large Charizard. The Charizard landed and a figure jumped off.

"Dad!" Ash said as the man approached them. "Hey kiddo. How are you doing?" Red said as he hugged the boy. "I'm doing great dad. How was your match?"

"Huh?" Red asked, wondering what Ash was talking about. "I had told them about your match after Galar opened up to us. So how was it?"

"It was something alright. Their Champion, Leon, said a six-on-six battle and I accepted it. I won the battle but Galar is something else. They have regional variants called Galarian forms and two great phenomena. One was the dynamax. By passing a certain energy through their pokéballs, they could allow a pokémon to achieve gigantic height for a period of time. The other was the most surprising. Leon called it Gigantamax form."

"So. How did the battle go?" Oak asked.

"Well, he made me use my fifth level elites. Throughout all the battles, he used pokémon native to Galar, but when he was down to his last pokémon, he released a Charizard."

"What?"

"I had Nidoking out at the moment, but all of a sudden, his Charizard started growing and then changed form. It was humongous and looked very powerful. Before I could begin, Pyro came out and decided to face it. The Charizard was strong but was no match for the strongest pokémon in the world, save Arceus."

"Well that is something worth looking into," Oak said as he stroked his chin. "I'll be going there later today, with the other professors. Before I forget, how's that Meltan we gave you?"

"It's doing alright. How's your training coming along Ash?"

"It's going well. I actually just came to meet the Professor. I needed him to approve the training session I planned out," Ash said as he handed the Professor his Xtransceiver. Oak took it and looked at the notes. "Nicely done Ash. Follow this and your team will grow by leaps and bounds."

"Thanks Professor," Ash said as he ran back to his training area. "Professor Oak just approved of my training plan, so let's get to work."

**Phew. Glad I'm done with this chapter. Hope you all loved it. This is the start of the Pallet arc. Ash and the gang have returned home to train and also take a break from trainer life. Oak lashes out against them for facing Team Rocket. Not much happened in this chapter 'cause it was meant to give way to the next chapter. Three of Ash's pokémon evolve in the next chapter. Which ones? Just wait and see because they're evolutions I've been meaning to do for a while now. Hope you all liked this chapter. Keep on reading and reviewing. draconian216 out.**


	14. Home Training

**Hey everyone, it's me again. Merry Christmas. Sorry for the late update. It took a while before I could finally get this chapter going. I want to thank everyone for supporting Pokémon: Gotta Catch 'em All. This is going to be my last update for the year. Thank you all once again, as you all gave me the reason to write. I started this fanfic as a means to improve my text editor skills, but along the line, I discovered that it was something more than that. I realised that as boring as this fanfic may be( had to say it), some of you if not all of you, really enjoy it and you guys were my motivation to write. Thank you all. I really appreciate your faithfulness to the fanfic. Love you all and hope to see you next year. Now that I'm done with this lovey-dovey stuff ( almost made myself cry), I bring you chapter 13. Don't forget to tell your friends.**

Chapter 13: Home Training

"Blaze come here," Ash called to the dragon. "We are going to work on your defense. Golduck, Wartortle, Volt, and Tyrunt, you're going to help in Blaze's training. I need you guys to blast him with all sorts of water, electric and rock attacks." The quartet nodded at their instructions.

"Blaze, while they attack you, your only options are to take it or dodge it. No attacking back. Is that clear." The fire type nodded, but the prospect of been made target practice wasn't all that good to him. Ash smiled. This training would help in Blaze's defense and also train their aim in hitting aerial targets.

"Ready, begin." As the words left Ash's mouth, Blaze took off into the air as a water gun sailed after him. He swerved right to avoid it, and narrowly avoided another one. Blaze flinched as a sharp stone hit his stomach and sent him down. He took off just in time to avoid a thunderbolt. Ash decided to leave them. He would stop them when Blaze had been hit enough.

"That's enough," Ash said as Butterfree and Beedrill successfully completed their twentieth lap around their training area. It had been roughly an hour since he dismissed Blaze and the rest and gave them various tasks. "Good job." He scratched both of them. They had completed the stat aspect, now it was time for a move.

"Butterfree use string shot." Butterfree squealed as he shot a singular string of web at a tree, wrapping it in seconds. "What I want you to do is this. Practice shooting your string shot as a giant web. That would help you get a starting grasp on learning electroweb. I'll check on you in a while." The bug type nodded as he flew off to a place to practice the move.

"This will be an easy one for you. You'll be working on drill run. Basically, I want you to practice rotating your drills at a high speed and with great force. Once that force is sufficient enough, ram your drills into a tree. Practice that and gradually add ground energy into the move. I'll check on you soon." And he left her.

Scene Change

Ash arrived to see Golduck face off against Clefairy. Golduck clenched his right hand as it soon started to take on an icy sheen. He ran at her as he slammed his icy fist into her. She flinched before launching a water pulse at him. Golduck dodged it but soon had to dodge more as Clefairy assaulted him, throwing in a signal beam on occasion. They stopped as Ash walked up to them.

"How's reflect coming?" Clefairy nodded as she used the move. Golduck's hand glowed an orange red as he ran at her. He slammed into the barrier and his move hit her. The barrier flared up, showing that the damage was reduced. "Good job. I think you've got reflect just about mastered. As it is now, we can use it in battle. Clefairy, I want you to run over your moves. Go help out Emerald. Golduck. I want to see shadow ball."

Golduck quacked as he formed the blob of ghostly energy and launched it at a tree. The ball hit the tree and exploded. "Good enough. It's time for the next step. What I want you to do is create a water pulse inside a shadow ball. Try forming the two separately in both hands and try fusing them. Understood?"

Golduck nodded as he began his training, while Ash left to meet the next trainees.

Scene Change

Scizor and Volt were both sparring since both their styles involved tanking, they took turns slamming each other with attacks. And since Ash had explained their battle styles to them, Volt was more than ready to surprise his partner. He waved his hands as the clouds turned dark and lightning struck Scizor. It was a good thing he was using light screen or it might have been bad.

Ash ran to Scizor's aid as he saw the light screen flare and shatter. "Scizor!" The steel type actually took the attack well and stood up back as he aerial aced Volt. Volt was the one who was now surprised. He rolled across the ground where he slowly got up. "That was amazing you guys. Nice attack Volt and nice defense Scizor. How about we call it Thunder shower?" Volt thought about it for a moment before nodding and whirling his hands.

"Scizor you did good. Your defense is improving and so is light screen. Why don't you give flash cannon a try." Scizor nodded as he opened his claws. Light formed at the center of them and he shot the twin beams at a tree. The beams slammed into a tree and destroyed it. "Now that flash cannon's getting better, I want you to work on bullet punch. It was basically using steel energy to augment the user's striking speed, letting them hit the target at the speed of a flying bullet. Use metal claw to practice."

Scizor nodded as he turned his attention towards a rock. "Volt you did good with that Thunder shower attack, but I want you to practice cross chop and try to make it like focus punch. Slowly combine the two into a unique technique that we can call our own again. I'll come check on you in a while. Is that okay?" Volt nodded as he went to work.

Scene Change

Ash arrived at the location of Tyrunt's training. The rock type was working on earthquake and stone edge. Ash walked over to the rock type as he took a breather. "How's it coming along?"

The rock type growled. "Then I suppose everything is going well then." Ash tossed him a yache berry. Thanks to the typing relationship, Tyrunt had grown rather fond of the berries that were known as yache berries. The berries were packed with a chemical that helped pokémon grow their resistant to ice moves and also increase the power of ice attacks.

"Earthquake." Tyrunt leapt into the air and came down on the ground with all his might. The impact caused the ground beneath to rumble and shake with force. The move was nowhere close to been mastered. A perfected earthquake would cause the ground to rumble and explode outwards. All Tyrunt's did was trip pokémon. "It still needs work. Halt stone edge and focus on earthquake. Throw in a dark pulse once in a while. We're getting there buddy."

Ash scratched the rock type just under his chin, eliciting a rumble from him. "I believe you." Ash walked away as the rock type went back to his training.

Just a few feet away from Tyrunt, Eevee was practicing on work up. The boy had no doubt that Eevee would get it down before the week runs out. "Eevee!" Hearing her name, Eevee darted into the forest.

"Wait up." Ash gave chase after her. He wondered what was wrong. He ran a couple of feet before the forest before him was covered in a bright white light. "What's that?" Ash asked himself as he headed for the light source. "Eevee!" Ash screamed while running. He stopped when he saw a light blue quadruped pokémon. It had long diamond-shaped ears and what appeared to be dark blue bangs with a diamond-like shape at the end. On its light blue fur were dark shades of blue on its back and paws. Its tail also ended in a diamond-like tip.

"Eevee. Is that you?" Ash asked slowly. The Glaceon trodded over to him with confidence, before growling. "It is you," Ash said as he picked her up. He noticed an object before her and was able to make it out to be an icy rock. The item that evolved Eevee into Glaceon.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Glaceon just growled as she looked at him. He had dropped her because she had become a little heavy to carry. She growled as she shook her fur. "You wanted to surprise me? If that was your plan, it was a hundred percent success." Ash was happy. Now that Ee - Glaceon had evolved, he could work out her battle style and up her training.

"How about we go over your details?" Glaceon nodded. Ash took out his pokédex and asked it to scan her.

"Scanning. Glaceon, the Fresh Snow Pokémon. It protects itself by freezing its fur into sharp needles. It can drop its body temperature below -75 degree Fahrenheit."

"This Glaceon is female and upon evolution has learnt the moves icy wind, ice fang, and ice shard. It has the ability snow cloak and the hidden ability ice body."

"Let's put those moves to the test. Icy wind." Glaceon squared back as she unleashed a blast of chilled air at a nearby tree. Evolving had really upped Glaceon's strength. The icy wind froze the tree in a layer of ice. "That's enough." Glaceon stopped the assault as she waited for her next order.

"Ice fang." Ash watched as Glaceon's fangs became covered in ice. She ran at a tree and bit into it, freezing it quickly. The move was definitely stronger than icy wind due to the way Glaceon had executed it and the speed at which the tree froze. She leapt away from the tree as she stood in front of Ash.

"Nice," Ash said with a grin. Glaceon had to call her back to earth with an icy wind to his face. "Oh. Right," Ash said as he regained himself. "Ice shard."

Glaceon pawed the ground as she focused greatly. Soon, the air around her begn to freeze into small chunks, before she flash froze the chunks into large shards. She launched them at a tree and the shards pierced it. Ash just stood mouth agape and wide eyed. Glaceon threatened to blast him again if he did not snap out of it. "I'm okay. I'm okay."

She tilted her head and growled. "No it's just that. Evolving really gave you a huge power boost. You might even be in the elites now." She waved her bangs and growled. "I know. You have no interest in it, but it is trainer tradition and you will love it. After all, you gain bragging rights." Glaceon's eyes widened at that. Bragging rights. She loved them and if been a member of the elites would grant her those sweet rights, then she would work hard and make it there.

"Let's get back to the others." Ash turned as he made his way alongside Glaceon to their training grounds. He was excited. Professor Oak had told him that Glaceon was almost the same age as Blaze, Wartortle and Ivysaur. To find out that she had evolved.

Soon, Ash and Glaceon had arrived. "The others would be surprised to see you. For now, work on your ice moves while I plan your battle style." Ash walked away, leaving Glaceon to herself.

Ash paused for a second as he ran over what he thought would be best suited for Glaceon's fighting style. She was an ice type, so they were brittle in a way, but surprisingly, Glaceon had high defenses. From what he had seen about Glaceon in the pokédex, they were good ranged attackers. It hit him. Her battle style would be similar to Emerald's, but instead of always evading, she would take on some hits too.

He nodded as he went to check on his next pokémon. Clefairy and Emerald were sparring together. The aim was for Clefairy to improve her defense while taking various attacks from Emerald. In turn, Clefairy attacks Emerald in order for her to evade. Ash watched as Emerald reared back and unleashed a torrent of flames at Clefairy. The fire type move slammed into Clefairy, but didn't do much. First, Emerald was still young and second, her flamethrower was nowhere near perfect. After taking much of the flames, Clefairy responded by shooting a barrage of water pulse, forcing Emerald to try to evade all of them. Seeing no need to butt into their training, Ash left the duo and made his way to his next stop.

Ivysaur and Wartortle were Ash's next stop. Both starters were facing each other and time seemed to stop as Ash appeared. Wartortle shot a water pulse at Ivysaur. The grass type tool the hit before retaliating with a barrage of razor sharp leaves. The leaves slammed into Wartortle and they continued their exchange turn after turn. They were to continue like this until either one of them was able to continue. Ash nodded as they turned his way before going to check on Zorua.

Ash had given the dark type a tree for her to attack with only dark pulse. He wanted her to be able to use the move without wasting much time to charge the next one. If her fighting style was going to be one of ferociousness, she should be able to attack without stoppage for a long time. Reaching the area where she was, Ash saw her fire a dark pulse at the tree before falling face first out of exhaustion. Ash smiled at the sight before turning on his heels to check on his starter.

Blaze was furthest away from the forest for obvious reasons. Ash had ordered him to practice aerial battling. It would help him a lot in battles. His task was to fly and then swoop down to land metal claw on nearby boulders. Doing so would strengthen his wings and make him a better aerial combatant. Ash called out to him before heading back to his station to make plans. He had a total of thirteen pokémon and he intended to focus on all of them. He was sure he wasn't going to catch any pokémon for the meantime except they wanted to come with him.

He turned on his Xtransceiver and crossed evolution from Eevee's page and changed the name to Glaceon. Out of the rest of his pokémon, Tyrunt, Volt and Emerald were furthest from evolution. Zorua would take long to evolve but it wouldn't be that long. From the way she executed her moves, Ash could tell she was old. Maybe around five months. Clefairy was one pokémon he could evolve at the moment, but he intended for her to grow some more before evolving her. That left Ivysaur and Wartortle, the only two who could evolve any moment from now. They were both as old as Blaze and the others. He took a deep breath as he ran over all the stuff he had typed in their training page.

"That's it," Ash said as sludge bomb sailed through the air before hitting Butterfree. The Butterfly Pokémon squealed at the hit before slamming into Beedrill with wing attack.

It had been roughly a week of rigorous battle style development period. A lot had happened during that week that Ash was happy about. After the first day, Ash had assembled his team and anytime Ash remembered the meeting with Glaceon, he fell down, laughing. He had called them to assembly while Glaceon approached from behind him. On seeing her, Scizor shot off as he shot a flash cannon at her. Due to the St. Anne incident, the bug type had being on high alert. Ash broke up the fight, laughing. That was the funniest first impression he had seen.

Other than that, their training was pretty fruitful. Butterfree had pretty much gotten electroweb down. Electroweb involved the user ensnaring the target in a web that was made of electricity. Due to the electric nature of the web, it lowered the speed of whatever was trapped inside. Butterfree hadn't downright mastered the move, but he could use it in battle and Ash made sure that they were able to get the moves extra effect down. "Electroweb," Ash ordered from him. Butterfree spewed a huge web made of yellow electricity from his mouth and launched it at a rock, ensnaring it.

Volt had also played a part in the learning of electroweb. He had drilled electricity into Butterfree's head so he could use it in his technique. Electroweb was a good addition. It would enable Butterfree's shut down a target's speed gradually. He had also gotten solar beam ready.

Beedrill had also gotten drill run down. The move even looked to be almost mastered to Ash. Beedrill's drills spun at a very fast rate as she used the move. Just then, she slammed into a rock, shattering it with enough pressure from her drills. Ash wished her usage of solar beam was just as good, but sadly it wasn't. The beam of light wasn't as powerful as an average solar beam was to be. Ash left it at that but ordered her to work on it.

Clefairy's defense had also improved. She could take more hits from Golduck and not get knocked out, though, the energy to fight back wasn't completely there. It was a start and as for reflect, she had it down to the core. She had also worked on the power behind her attacks. She needed to hit hard because the pokémon they would be battling would be far stronger than them.

Golduck had showed great results in his training. His speed had improved greatly and so did his reflexes. He was specially faster in water and Ash intended to exploit that ability when the league rolled over. He had heard that one of the battlefield was a water field. During that period, they had worked on the duration at which Golduck used disable and it had increased to about three minutes on normal circumstances against pokémon like Clefairy. As for the combo move, shadow pulse, Golduck hadn't made much progress. He could now form shadow ball and water pulse simultaneously, but when it was time to fuse the two things got messy. Since he was combining the two moves, he had to open shadow ball in order for water pulse to get inside, and he had to maintain that compatibility throughout.

Golduck could create a hole inside shadow ball and place water pulse inside, but as for compatibility. That was where the problem was. Before Golduck could think of doing anything with the move, it exploded and knocked him back. The move definitely needed a lot of work before they got it down. Ash intended for Golduck to have a powerful special combo for stunning opponents. Golduck didn't plan on stopping until he had the move down.

Bullet punch was an easy move for Scizor to get down. Bullet punch augmented the user's speed, allowing it to strike with the speed of a bullet, delivering quick and powerful punches. Scizor had already gotten it down good and could strike with fast speed for a Scizor. The move wasn't perfect but they were close. Light screen was also pretty much mastered by Scizor. Ash knew he was neglecting Scizor's bug attributes, so to compensate for that, he had him practice his flying. Currently, Scizor could fly for about three minutes before tiring out.

Volt had also worked hard over the course of the week. He had worked hard to learn the move cross punch. The move required Volt harnessing cross chop's fighting energy in one hand. Slowly, he adds focus punch's energy to cross chop. Ash hoped the move would be very destructive, at least more than cross chop. The previous day when Ash had asked him to use the move, even at its imperfect state, it was enough to break a large tree. Ash was pleased with the result of the training. Volt had also practiced thunder shower. It was as a result of the colliding water molecules when he used rain dance. The move was hard to control, and his accuracy was a little off. Volt had also improved his defense a little with Tyrunt's help.

Tyrunt had focused mostly on earthquake. Stone edge was already gotten down thanks to typing relationship and as for dark pulse, it was easy to get down. Though not mastered, dark pulse was better than earthquake. Currently, Tyrunt's earthquake could now split the ground on a very small scale and Ash was proud of him. The Royal Heir Pokémon had also worked on his defense with Clefairy and had improved. It would take a lot of water pulse from Clefairy to knock him out. He had improved just the way Ash liked.

Glaceon's recent evolution had opened new doors for her training. Ash had her work on hail as a start. The move was very easy for Glaceon to learn, because they could easily form ice out of thin air. Glaceon easily mastered the move hail and it was a good one for her to learn because of her abilities snow cloak and ice body. Glaceon was able to send hailstones of about ten centimeter in diameter. After she had hail down, Ash had her learn the move icicle crash. Glaceon had also gotten the move down easily. Icicle crash was a powerful ice move that involved the user sending icicles down on the target. Glaceon had also improved her defense with Blaze's flamethrower.

Emerald had surprised Ash. The King Dragonite hadn't told him that she was a quick learner, and over the course of the week, Ash had noticed that Emerald had taken to Blaze as an apprentice to a mentor. The Dragon Pokémon had practiced flamethrower diligently and had improved greatly. Since speed was a major factor in her battle style, Ash had her work on agility. Agility was a psychic move that involved the user relaxing and lightening their body with psychic energy to move faster. She also had daily speed drills with Blaze. The exercise was pretty easy. Blaze would chase her around and she would evade the flamethrowers he shot. It was good training for her and awesome target practice for Blaze. With Blaze's help and tutoring, she had learnt dragon pulse and dragon dance. She had easily gotten the hang of all three moves. Her usage of thunderbolt had also improved, thanks to help from Volt.

Ivysaur and Wartortle had also improved defense wise. They were also getting close to evolution. Ivysaur's bulb had started opening, letting loose the sweet aroma that Venusaur are known to give off. As for Wartortle, the water type had been feeling restless lately and all he could think of was battling. Ivysaur and Wartortle had just practiced their defenses and drilled power into their attacks.

Zorua had increased the power and lethality of her attacks. The force behind each of her moves was now more focused and accurate. Ash was surprised when she had destroyed a tree the other day while using payback. She was an expert in the dark energy and Ash was willing to bet his bottom dollar that both her parents were Zorua. She practically breathed dark energy in all she did. She had mastered all her moves and Ash was ready to use her in gym battles.

And then there was his starter, Blaze. While Blaze rarely battled, when he did, it was against really strong opponents. The fire type was feeling pretty down because of his loss to the Rockets, but the prospect of training had caused him to bounce back. Blaze had gotten bulldoze down and was ready to use it in a real battle. Currently,he could destroy one of Tyrunt's stone spires. Ash was frightened at the power gap between Blaze and the rest of his team. The only pokémon in his team that could challenge the fire type were Wartortle, Ivysaur, Golduck and Scizor. The others like Glaceon, Zorua maybe, Volt and perhaps Beedrill and Butterfree if they attack smart, could only do little damage. The fire type was the best pokémon he had technique wise. Blaze had improved his aerial skills and had also taught himself steel wing to add to his arsenal of aerial skills.

Currently, they had about a week before the reunion party was to commence. Ash stood tall as he watched his pokémon feed. He was not spared from the training exercise as he has worked on his aura skills. Just the day before, he had asked his dad for a battle against just one member of his elites and he had accepted. Today was the day for that battle. The previous day, Ash had Ivysaur and Wartortle battle and they both had injured themselves, so they would not be participating in the battle. Blaze would also not be participating on the account that he had fought Pyro the previous day and was placed out of commission for the time being.

It took only a few minutes for Ash to arrive at the Professor's training yard. Ash had agreed earlier on that the battle would be all of Ash's pokémon against one of his elites at a time, to evaluate them. Everyone had already gathered at the training yard and Red was currently on the field. Ash saw Oak at the center of the field, ready to begin the match.

As Ash approached the trainer's box, he could hear them cheer him on. "Are you ready Ash?" Red asked as his son arrived. "You bet I am." Ash turned his cap backwards as he readied a pokéball in his hand.

Red tossed a pokéball unto the field and it burst in a bright white light. A loud mechanical cry was heard as a huge blue pokémon condensed from the light. It had a huge white "x" across its face and it beared dark red eyes that looked like they could stare into someone's soul and compel them as easily as it breathes. It possessed no body. Four huge legs emerged from its head, giving it a quadruped body style. At the bottom of each leg were three large silver claws. The pokémon appeared to emit a powerful psychic pressure. Around its neck, Ash could make out a small gem.

"What's that? Around Metagross' head?"

"That's a Metagrossite. It allows Metagross mega evolve when activated alongside my key stone."

"You won't be using that right?"

"In your case, it would be overkill to use mega evolution, especially since mega evolution still exists only in Kalos and Hoenn. At least, that was until you found a mega stone here." Red casually stretched as he gestured for Ash to release his pokémon.

Ash tossed a friend ball as he released Emerald. It was more like a training experience for them. So, all his pokémon, including the young ones had to partake. "You ready girl? It's a battle." Emerald cooed as he said that. She thrashed her tail sideways.

Ash took a second to analyse Metagross. The Iron Leg Pokémon in front of him was humongous. The height of an average Metagross was five feet and three inches. The Metagross in front of them was about seven feet and ten inches and looked to weigh a lot. If one were to compare the two pokémon about to battle, it would be comedic. Emerald was just about four feet and ten inches. That was her length, not her height, and she weighed three kilograms. Ash stopped as the Professor began the battle.

"Dratini vs Metagross begin."

"Agility." Emerald lightened herself as she slipped into the speed augmenting psychic move. "Flamethrower." While slithering across the ground, she spewed a torrent of flames at Metagross. The steel type didn't move an inch as the flames slammed into it.

Emerald cut off power to the flames as she noticed that it wasn't effective. "Thunderbolt." The gem atop her head sparked with yellow electricity as she shot a bolt of lightning at Metagross. The thunderbolt did nothing against the powerful defense Metagross possessed.

"Nothing's happening," Misty said.

"That's got to be the strongest Metagross in the world," Paul said as he watched the battle.

"What's Ash going to do now?" That was from Dawn.

"Guess we'll just have to wait and see," Trip said.

"Flamethrower in a circle. Go for its legs." Emerald shot off as she circled Metagross while spewing jets of flames at it. "Meteor mash." One of Metagross' hands shone white as it tracked the Dratini. After a second, it shot off like a meteor and slammed into Emerald. The power behind the move was reduced obviously, but nevertheless, she was still knocked out by the attack.

"What amazing speed. That was surprising," Gary said.

"That meteor mash was pretty much destructive," Paul said as he checked his pokédex to see which of his pokémon could learn it.

Ash grit his teeth as he tossed another friend ball and he released Zorua. The dark type pawed the ground before growling at Metagross. "A dark type. Going for a type advantage Ash?"

"Anything if it means a chance at winning you. Dark pulse." Zorua fired the beam of dark aura at Metagross. The huge pokémon didn't move as the beam slammed into it. "Dark pulse again."

Instead of using dark pulse, Zorua faded away, confusing everyone around. She appeared behind Metagross with a glowing arm, and she slammed it into Metagross. "Feint attack."

"What?" Ash asked. "Your Zorua just learnt feint attack."

"Really?" Ash looked at Zorua who had appeared by his side of the battle. "Pursuit and dark pulse." Zorua shot off with pursuit while she gathered dark energy and shot it as a beam. "Flash cannon."

Metagross made a mechanical grunt as it gathered steel energy in the form of light and shot it at Zorua, almost as quickly as the move was called. Flash cannon eradicated dark pulse in less than a second, before slamming into Zorua. The move launched her into the air, where she was caught by Oak's Alakazam using psychic.

"Ash!"

"Yeah."

"Your Zorua is fast and has reserves to use attacks relentlessly. However, I noticed her lack of illusion. Address that. You've done a good job working on her." Red smiled as he crossed his arms.

"Thanks Dad." Ash returned Zorua's unconscious form and tossed another friend ball unto the field. The light condensed into Clefairy. She waved at everyone as she came out.

"So Cleffa's already evolved. You've done a good job with making her happy." He paused before continuing. "Show me how well her battle skill has improved."

"I will. Signal beam." Clefairy opened her mouth as she shot a beam of light at Metagross. The huge psychic type raised one leg and blocked the beam.

"Metronome and sing." Clefairy waved her hands side to side as they glowed. A powerful flamethrower escaped her mouth and raced towards Metagross. The Iron Leg Pokémon took the hit before using protect to block sing.

"Work up." Clefairy tensed her muscles as she raised her attack and special attack. "Disarming voice." Clefairy let loose a charming cry at Metagross. "Earthquake."

Metagross stomped the ground, causing it to explode violently towards Clefairy. "Dodge it!" Clefairy took to the sky but Metagross followed and slammed a fist into her.

"Damn," Ash muttered as he returned her. Meragross' was extremely fast, despite its size. The battle style was perfect for it. He looked up to see the field completely devastated by the earthquake attack. "Ash!" His father called, snapping him out of his train of thought.

He took a ball from his belt and hurled it unto the field, releasing Beedrill. The bug type immediately took on a defensive stance in front of Ash.

"Beedrill. Focus energy and follow up with pursuit."

Beedrill's stance soon became offensive as she began to focus, increasing her critical hit ratio. She shot off a second later, shrouded in dark aura as she made her way towards Metagross. Metagross stood still as Beedrill slammed into him. The impact made Ash flinch as Beedrill rebounded off Metagross and skidded to a stop across the ground.

She got up shakily and tried to regain her senses. "That was a bad move Ash. Metagross' defense is one of the best out there. You just placed Beedrill out of commission." As he said this, Beedrill was knocked out by a metal claw to her back. "Don't fret. Your Beedrill's strong. She was able to recover from that slam. It's obvious you've trained her well."

Ash returned her. That was a huge mistake on his part. He sent out Butterfree and he took on an offensive stance. "Electroweb." Butterfree flew at Metagross and shot a web of electricity at it, ensnaring it. The web sparked as it lowered Metagross' speed. Ash knew that the attempt did nothing against Metagross' speed.

"Wing attack and silver wind." Butterfree shot off at Metagross ready to slam his wings. Nearing Metagross, he pulled back and flapped his wings as he shot powdery scales in the form of wind. The attack slammed into Metagross but did nothing except irritate it.

"Meteor mash." Metagross shot off towards Butterfree, but the bug type was able to evade the claw narrowly. "Sleep powder." Butterfree flapped his wings as green powder was sent at Metagross. Red was shocked at the way Butterfree evaded the claw and countered Metagross.

Metagross knew better and as such avoided inhaling the powder. It flew out of the powder's reach and landed somewhere else, calmly. "Solar beam." Butterfree spread his wings as he took in sunlight. Red waited patiently until the beam was fired. "Psychic."

Metagross glowed as psychic energy outlined the beam and sent it at Butterfree. "Run!" Butterfree took off as he tried out running the beam. Metagross appeared to show no strain on his face while Butterfree was doing his best to avoid it. After about a minute, Metagross slammed his leg as rocks fell from the sky, halting Butterfree. He turned around to see the psychic controlled beam slam into him.

"No!" Ash said as the beam slammed into Butterfree and knocked him out. "Good job Ash. I never expected Butterfree to evade Metagross like that. You've worked on his speed greatly and for that you deserve praise. Since his battle style is to weaken and shut down, consider teaching him double team."

"I will."

"His speed is okay. Focus on his defense and offense. Try to work on the power behind his attacks also."

"Now let's move on. Send out your next pokémon."

Ash nodded as he took another ball from his belt. He hurled it unto the field and the light condensed into Tyrunt. The rock/dragon type came out with a loud growl.

"Let's do this. Rock polish." Tyrunt slammed his hands together, polishing his body to raise his speed. "Now dragon breath." Tyrunt let loose a gust of draconic energy at Metagross. The attack slammed into Metagross and did nothing at all.

"Dragon dance and then earthquake." Tyrunt began the series of ancient dragon movements as he raised his attack and speed. He jumped up as he prepared to stomp the ground to use the move. "Psychic."

Tyrunt instinctively shot a dark pulse at the psychic attack. The beam was able to tear through the psychic, creating a hole were it passed over Tyrunt. Tyrunt slammed the ground as it split, sending ground energy at Metagross. The beast of a steel type took the earthquake with ease.

"Stone edge." Tyrunt punched the ground as blades of stone shot off at Metagross. "Flash cannon." The powerful beam of light raced towards Tyrunt, destroying all stones in the way. It was times like this that Ash wished he had thought Tyrunt protect. Faster than the rock type could avoid, flash cannon slammed into Tyrunt and knocked him out.

Ash recalled the rock type as he took another ball. "Tyrunt's good. His instincts are good and from what I could work out," Red said with eyes glowing blue. "His defense is also solid, though not what I would expect from a pokémon four times stronger than normal. Reflexes are solid. But he needs defensive moves."

Ash's eyes glowed blue as he used aura sight. Aura sight was purely legal in this kind of battle. He tossed a friend ball and out came Volt. The electric type whirled his hands as he charged himself. "Thunderbolt." Volt whirled his hands as a bolt of yellow lightning raced at Metagross. Metagross just held up a hand and the bolt slammed into it, harmlessly.

"Rain dance. You know what to do." Volt began to sway his hands in a pattern as he moved in just one spot. The clouds soon turned dark as rain began to fall. Volt smirked as a far larger bolt of lightning rained down and slammed into Metagross. The move was completely unexpected, but still did nothing against the amazing defense of the Iron Leg Pokémon.

"Go in with thunderspeed." Volt whirled his hands as he shot off with an electrified body. He darted past Metagross and kept on that moving. He was moving at his top speed, but to the eyes of Metagross, he was still slow. It was easy for it to keep up with his movements. "Dynamic punch." Volt's hand glowed a dangerous red as he sped past Metagross. "Psyshock." Faster than Volt could stop the momentum behind his attack, the powerful psychic wave slammed into Volt and sent him skidding across the ground.

The electric type was obviously out. Ash returned him and reached for another ball. "Ash! His moves and power are okay at the moment. His speed is something that impressed me a lot. I can't imagine what he would do as an Electabuzz, or even as an Electivire. He should evolve in a few months. As for speed, you should work on him stopping moves mid attack." Red paused, making sure everything had sunk into Ash's head. "Bring out the next one."

Ash tossed the friend ball as he released Glaceon. The ice type came out with a cry as she faced her opponent.

"Ash's Eevee has evolved." It was more of a statement than a question.

"So it seems. Almost makes me jealous," Gary said.

"Is someone feeling bad," Leaf said as the others laughed.

"Hey. I said almost okay. Besides. The battle is about to start."

"Let's put your new moves to the test," Ash said to the ice type. She just rolled her eyes at his words and blasted him with cold air. "What was that for?!" She rolled her eyes and growled. "Oh. I'm slow?" She nodded. She squealed some more. "Fine. I'm sorry for wasting your time when we can just battle." She laughed slightly and nodded at that, before turning her attention to Metagross. "Hail."

Glaceon squealed as she froze Volt's rain, turning them into hail. The hailstones rained down on the field, and Glaceon's snow cloak ability activated. "Icicle crash." She growled once more as she formed large ice shards from the air. After deciding they were large enough, she hurled them at Metagross. The shards slammed into Metagross but still weren't enough to break Metagross' defense.

"Hyper voice." Glaceon opened her mouth as she let loose a loud horrible cry that slammed into Metagross. The cry caused everyone to cover their ears, but it was almost nothing to Blaze and Red. "Flash cannon." A silver beam of steel energy in the form of light was sent at Glaceon, but she was able to evade it, thanks to snow cloak.

"Tail whip and iron attack." Glaceon wagged her tail cutely as she lowered Metagross' defense. She shot off a second later with tail glowing a metallic sheen. "Hammer arm." Metagross' arm glowed as he brought it down at Glaceon. The ice type ducked under the arm as she slammed her tail into Metagross' head. She jumped off a second later as she made her way back to Ash.

"Shadow ball." The ghost type move slammed into Glaceon's retreating figure and knocked her out. "Damn." Ash silently returned her back to her ball as he waited for his father's analysis. "Good call on using hail. You were able to evade two of Metagross' attacks. Glaceon is fast and has great power behind her attacks. It also looked to me that she has a lot of experience. However, she needs to improve in her stamina. Her speed dropped after she used icicle crash."

Ash nodded as he enlarged a friend ball. He hurled the ball and out came Golduck. The Duck Pokémon quacked as he bounced on one feet. "Let's do this. Muddy water." Golduck punched the ground as mud-like water erupted and made their way to Metagross. The attack slammed into Metagross, but the steel type still didn't budge. Golduck made to move but he flinched as hail slammed into him. Ash had forgotten about hail and now Golduck had to worry about them. Metagross just stood as they bounced harmlessly off his body. "Ice beam and get close."

Golduck fired an arc of icy energy at Metagross. Metagross stood still as the beam slammed into him. Golduck kept up the attack as he edged closer to Metagross. "Shadow ball." Golduck quickly cut off power to ice beam and formed the blob of ghost energy before firing it at Metagross. As the ball neared Metagross, it held up a glowing leg and knocked it back at Golduck.

The Duck Pokémon flipped over the redirected move. "Disable." Still in the air, Golduck's eyes flashed with power as he sent an aura at Metagross. "Psychic." Metagross glowed with psychic energy as psychic wrapped around disable and sent it at Golduck. Golduck tried outrunning the move but was soon caught in a psychic attack. Disable hit him and he couldn't move.

Golduck struggled to break free from the move, but it was in vain. "Zen headbutt." Ash watched as Metagross' head became shrouded in psychic energy as it tucked its legs behind it. Like a rocket, it zoomed off and slammed into Golduck. The water type was knocked out by the move and was sent skidding across the field, where it came to a stop in front of Ash.

"Golduck's going to be fine," Red said as he noticed Ash's expression. "He is a tough pokémon. That muddy water was strong, given the fact that Golduck don't learn it normally. His ability to use shadow ball was also a surprise. His speed is okay and so is his attack. But, you have to work on his reaction rate. Shall we?"

"We shall," Ash said as he took a friend ball from his belt.

"Ash has improved," Delia said as she watched the father and son battle. "He sure has I wonder when Blue will get here," Oak said at the lateness of his son.

"Yeah. I want to battle him," Gary said as he tossed a friend ball up and down. "You're just saying that because Ash is battling his dad," Leaf teased.

Before Gary could respond, Paul beat him to it. "Calm down you two. They're about to begin." Everyone's attention was now directed to the battlefield. Ash had released Scizor to continue the battle.

"Scizor, silver wind." Scizor flapped his wings as he sent powdery scales at Metagross. The hulking steel type just stood as the super-effective move slammed into it. "Light screen and bug buzz."

Scizor used light screen, before flapping his wings rapidly and emitting a sound wave. The super-effective move did nothing against Metagross, but it made everyone else cover their ears. Seeing the move do nothing, Scizor's claws shone bright as he let loose a flash cannon from both of them. Metagross held up a leg as flash cannon slammed into it. The beams of light scattered against Metagross' leg.

"Into the air Scizor." Scizor stopped flash cannon and took to the air, thanks to light metal. "Agility and continuous vacuum wave." Scizor relaxed as he further lightened his body with agility and shot off, striking Metagross with the super-effective vacuum wave. Metagross just stood there, tanking the hits, showing no noticeable strain.

"Metagross, hammer arm." Metagross shot off and appeared quickly in front of Scizor. "Bullet punch." Scizor was able to land a bullet punch before Metagross hammered him into the ground. A red beam appeared from Ash's side as he returned Scizor.

"That's a fast Scizor. You have definitely brought out the beauty of his speed. He has some powerful attacks. Defense is lacking a bit, but good enough. Reflexes are also great. You surprised me with that last bullet punch."

"Thanks Dad," Ash said as his eyes became normal, and so did his Dad's. "Anytime Ash. You've done good son. Keep it up 'cos you've got competition." Red directed his gaze to Trip, Paul and Gary. "I know Dad."

Red returned Metagross before going to meet Delia. "That was amazing Ash," Serena said, with the girls backing her up. "Yeah Ashy-boy. I didn't know Eevee had evolved. Congratulations." Ash just shook the brunette boy. "We've got just a week till the reunion. I want to get in a good amount of training before then."

"Yeah you better. You're not the only one training," Leaf said.

They were all pumped up and ready. Even though the league was still a year and some months away, all four boys were excited for it. They weren't the only ones training. Other trainers were also trying their hardest to win all gym badges and compete on the birth place of the Pokémon League.

"Ahh," Ash screamed as he tossed an aura sphere at his father. The Pokémon Master knocked the sphere back with a flick of his wrists. The sphere hit the ground were it exploded.

It had been roughly a week since Ash and Red's battle and it was the day before the reunion. Red had asked Ash if he wanted to spar after the long week of training and Ash had agreed. It was a great way to bond and also for Ash to improve in his aura usage.

Throughout the past week, the only thing Ash and his pokémon did was to spar with each other. During the sparring exercise, both Wartortle and Ivysaur had evolved into their final evolutions of Blastoise and Venusaur, respectively. They continued their sparring exercises until the last day when Ash wanted to reshuffle his elites. The battles that day was intense. It resulted in a lot of craters and destroyed trees. Blaze was the main cause of destruction, his name was already a direct entry, but he still decided to fight in the Elite games. It got so intense that Ash had to calm him. Thanks to evolution, Glaceon had gained her place as the all rounder of the team. Ash would have given it to Golduck, but because she was far more experienced,she was best suited for it. Golduck had taken the role of fastest and Venusaur had taken on the role of best defense. Scizor had become the most accurate, while Blastoise had been given title of strongest.

Thanks to the Elite games, Ash had also gotten to know where each of his pokémon stood in terms of power. Blaze was obviously the strongest. Blastoise and Venusaur were both tied in second. Another tie for the position of third was between Scizor and Glaceon. Golduckwas fourth. Tyrunt was fifth. Volt, sixth. Butterfree and Beedrill were tied in seventh. Zorua was eight. Clefairy, ninth. Dratini tenth and last. Ash had also used the previous week to address Zoruas usage of illusion. Apparently, the dark type was a bit inferior about using the ability, but Ash was able to help her out with it.

And being the trainer he was, how could he let his pokémon train while he didn't, so here he was, facing his father, with his mother cheering in the background.

"Mum!" Ash exclaimed as his mother kept on cheering for his dad. "Sorry honey." Ash turned back to see his father chuckle. "She is my wife after all. Of course she is to cheer for me."

"Against me, I'm not sure that should hold." Ash retorted, thinking he had won. "Yeah it holds. If you find it so bad, why don't you call Serena to cheer you on."

"Dad!"

Red burst into laughter. "Mum! Not you too." Delia had also joined in the fun. Ash groaned deeply before falling on the ground. "I can't believe you people," he muttered. An idea hit him as he spring forth and tossed an aura sphere at his dad. Red just held up a hand and caught the sphere and caused it to disperse. "I think that's enough for today," Red said. He was right. They had been at it since ten in the morning and it was already three in the afternoon.

"Who wants snacks?" Delia walked up to them with a tray filled with snacks.

After they had eaten to their fill, they sat on the grass and just took the moment to bond.

"Dad?" Ash called out. "Yeah Ash."

"Do you know anything about the Dragon Kings?" Delia perked up as he said this, wondering what her son was talking about, meanwhile, Red was deep in thought. He was obviously deep in thought. He was called back to their plane by Delia who shoved him.

"Oh the Dragon Kings. That is an old tale that existed a long time ago. According to legends, there was a man who hailed from the Kingdom of Rota when she was still young. He was your ancestor and also mine, Jeremy Ketchum." Ash's eyes went wide at this.

"If I'm not mistaken, that was the first Ketchum mentioned in anything history. He was the main reason the Ketchums have become one of the most known families in the world. Jeremy left his home of Rota after his parents were killed during that warring period. I'm sure you have a little knowledge on that time." Ash nodded. "During that period, pokémon were used as weapons of destruction. People fought and killed each other. It was as if Arceus had removed himself from the world. It was said that Jeremy left Rota by means of boat. His boat had a terrible accident and all the others were lost. Jeremy recalled how he was "mysteriously" guided to the shores of what we now know as Cerulean City. As the story goes, he tried to get a place to stay, but wasnt able to because of the warring state of the world. Fate played in his way, as he went to Cerulean Cape and took refuge there.

Not much is known about what happened, but they say that a mighty beast the likes of which no one had encountered before. They say it had the power to summon storms and control the weather to an extent. Some called it a dragon, others called it a creature of the sea. Due to the fact that no one had actually seen it apart from Jeremy, because it always shrouded itself with clouds. It caused a lot of confusion. Eventually, they agreed it to be a dragon because Jeremy was sighted flying on it many times. The beast was also too large for people to believe it existed. Its size was huge, and it was able to wipe out armies of people and pokemon with ease. Some called it a god because of the legendary powr it possessed. That may have been one of the Dragon Kings you had asked me about. Red concluded.

Is that all you know about the Dragon Kings?

Yes Ash. Im afraid thats all I know about the Dragon Kings. Red stroked his chin as he tried to recall whether he knew any more about the topic in particular. Wait. I remember Cynthia telling me something to me about an encounter some time ago.

Do you mean Champion Cynthia of the Sinnoh region?

Yeah. Apparently she had had an encounter some time ago. She said that a deep guttural voice had spoken to her when she was strolling around Celestic town. She said she didnt see anything but she had assumed it to be a dragon because of the aura of power it exuded in its voice. And people did say that sometimes it was as if Jeremy spoke with the dragon. Thats all I know. Anyways, why did you ask about this Ash?

"No reason in particular Dad. I heard about it and thought you might know something about it because you are the Pokemon Master.

Oh, then no problem there. They were all lying on the grass. Hey Dad. What about the dominant families in the world? Tell me about them.

Well, for starters, we have the Ketchums, the Oaks, the Watarus, the Stones, the Slates, the Waterflowers, the Bolts

Tell me the history of the Ketchums, Ash said to his Dad.

Whats with the sudden interest in history? Red asked his eager son.

Thats true. Ive never seen Ash interested in history. That comment was from Delia.

Its just that I want to know about the family I come from. I have a right to know.

Well, you are right. Okay, the history of the Ketchums. During the warring state of this our world all those many years ago. Like I told you, the Ketchums were first noted from the timeline of Jeremy Ketchum. As history had it, the Ketchums come from the Kingdom of Rota. After Jeremy's dealings with the beast of legend, he left Cerulean and moved back to Rota and started a family while also growing the Soul clan as the first Aura Guardian and the one true Aura Master. It was through his lineage that the Soul clan was able to produce aura users, albeit rarel.. Years passed and roughly two thousand years ago, Sir Aaron Ketchum, our direct ancestor proved greater than Jeremy by possessing greater aura abilities. He ended up sacrificing himself to save the Kingdom of Rota. And from him, two thousand years passed and we are here. We are still waiting for the next Aura Master after Aaron. One who is said to be the greatest there was or ever will be. When he or she will come, no one knows."

"How come there are huge gaps in our history?"

"That's just how it is son. Before I forget, there's something I want to give to you." Delia giggled as Red said this. Ash's eyes beamed greatly as he waited for it. Red reached into his pocket and took out an ultra ball. "Open it."

Ash took the ball and pressed the release button. White light condensed from the ball into a pokémon that Ash knew all too well. The pokémon was dog-like with a general blue and black scheme. It had red eyes and black feet and a blue tail, with pointy ears. Ash took out his pokédex to scan it.

"Scanning. Riolu the Emanation Pokémon. It is extremely energetic with enough stamina to keep running through the night. Taking it for walks can be a challenging experience."

"This Riolu is male and knows the moves Quick attack, endure, feint, metal claw and counter. It has the egg moves Cross chop and high jump kick which have not been unlocked. It has the ability Inner focus and the hidden ability Prankster."

Dexter stopped. "Thank you so much dad." Ash hugged his father who returned it equally. "No problem son. It is tradition for aura users to possess a Riolu as one of their partners, and it was high time you got yours. I can't let Blue and Green be the only to gift a pokémon to their kids."

This went on for some time as Ash introduced his team to Riolu after he had finished with his parents. His Dad had also requested that he focused on the pokémon he had now and not catch any others. That was something Ash had agreed to.

Currently now, the raven haired trainer was lazying about on the grass, just chilling with his pokémon family. Blaze was flying over head and using steel wing from time to time. That was basically his way of relaxing. After some time, Ash saw him come down and scorch himself with flames. That was usually the way Charizard cleaned themselves and Blaze really liked it. After that, the fire type collapsed on the hard ground to rest his wings.

Blastoise and Golduck were both relaxing in the small pool that was near them. Venusaur was lying on the grass and so we're the rest. Everything was just perfect until-

"Ash!"

"Damn," Ash muttered as he turned his head to see who it was that had called him. There, running towards him was Serena. "Hey Serena." He sat up as she neared him and gestured for her to sit near him.

"What brings you here?" The honey blonde girl had already taken a seat. "Well... I was just wondering if maybe we could hangout for some time. It's been long since it has been just the two of us."

"Oh, that's okay with me. I've kind of missed hanging out with you... Do you have any ideas where the others might be?"

"Well. Leaf and Gary are running errands for the professor. Dawn said she was going to bother Paul and Misty is with Trip. He is helping her train her Poliwrath in the ways of fighting pokémon." Ash's eyes perked up at that. "So Misty has evolved her Poliwags?" Serena nodded.

"Ash?" Serena called out. "I have someone who would like to see Blaze."

"Who's that?" The boy asked.

"You'll see," Serena said as she got up holding a pokéball. She pressed the release button and the light condensed into a Charizard. Ash's eyes widened. "Your Charmeleon evolved. That's great Serena."

"Thank you," Serena said as she scratched Charizard under the chin. "Hey Blaze!" Ash shouted. "Come over here." It took a few seconds for the fire type to respond as he landed by Ash. He turned and noticed the other Charizard present and growled fiercely. Ash tapped him. "Don't you recognize her?"

It took a few seconds for Blaze to recognize the Charizard in front of him to be Serena's Charmeleon. How would he have known. The last time he saw her, she was a Charmeleon. He was broken out of his train of thoughts by Ash.

"When did she evolve?"

"It was during training yesterday. After she evolved, I called my dad and he said she should work on using her wings so she would get used to them quickly."

"Let's do it then. How about a little flight?"

Serena nodded and gestured to Charizard. "Take it easy," Ash said as she got on Charizard. He had already gotten on Blaze and was already airborne. After Serena had settled on her Charizard, they took off. At first, it was hard for Serena to maintain balance on Charizard who she had started calling Char, it soon became natural for her. Char was able to keep up with Blaze who had slown down enough.

The ride was fun and both Serena and Ash had a lot of giggles along the way. Occasionally, Blaze and Char would release flamethrowers, creating beautiful displays.

"What's that?" Professor Oak said as he looked up noticing the flames. He was outside his lab with both Red and Blue.

"Those are Charizard," Red pointed out but was confused. "I thought only Ash had a Charizard," Blue said, clarifying why they were all confused.

"Not exactly. Sycamore's daughter, Serena had a Charmeleon when they came here." Oak stroked his chin as he said that.

"So it must have evolved. Beautiful." The comment was from Red who had noticed the pattern of flames both fire types spewed to be beautiful.

"That gives me an idea," Oak said as he gestured for Blue and Red to come close. He told them what he thought of. They both agreed to that and released four pokémon.

Meanwhile...

"You're getting a hang of it," Ash said as he held on tight to Blaze as he did a barrel roll and spewed flames, creating a spark shower. Serena watched the display quite impressed.

"Hey Ash, what's that?" Serena said, drawing Ash's attention to the incoming creature approaching them fast. As it got closer, Ash recognized it as Pyro,his dad's Charizard. The elder pokémon growled as he spoke to Blaze. After some seconds, he turned and shot off. Ash tapped Blaze before telling Serena to follow him.

About a minute later, they arrived in front of the Professor's lab. They got off their pokémon and returned them to their balls and read the note on the chair which said only one word, "Wait."

Both he and Serena stood there waiting and soon enough they were joined by Leaf and Gary. As if that was surprising, Gary had arrived holding two ultra balls. Ash silently wondered what was inside those. Next came Dawn and Paul, and then Trip and Misty. Ash thought that was the surprise, but he was happy to be wrong.

A couple of minutes later, Professor Oak came out back, accompanied by Red and Blue. Soon enough, Green, Leaf's dad came walking in with Delia. Leaf was almost ecstatic as she saw her dad and she couldn't resist the urge to hug him. Two more familiar faces came in, Professor Sycamore and Delia's younger sister, Yellow. That was not all as they heard a loud roar above and were surprised to see Lance and his Dragonite. The champion of Johto and final elite four member of Kanto was also present for some reason.

While everyone was getting acquainted with each other, Professor Oak took the stage. "Greetings everyone and welcome to the reunion party thrown in honour of those eight kids as a sought of break from training. Sorry for informing you all on such short notice, but it had to be done and I'm glad you could all make it."

"The party should not take long and there will be a couple of events to make it more interesting. There would be a dinner event and as a deal breaker, a couples pokémon battle. Also the induction of Ash Satoshi Ketchum as an official Aura Student, and Gary Oak as a Psychic Student."

Both boys were shocked to hear their names. "Anyway," Oak continued. "That would be for later. The battlefield has already been arranged and all events will cone eventually."

They arrived at the area stipulated for the event and all the adults had gotten into a discussion. There were a couple of other kids that they didn't recognize and Gary was talking with one of them.

"Hey Ash," he called as Ash walked over to them. "This is my best friend and rival," Gary told the other kid as Ash reached them. "Hi. I'm Ash Satoshi Ketchum. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. I'm Alain Sycamore," the boy said. Ash's eyes widened. "You're related to the professor?"

"Yeah. I'm his nephew." As he said this, Serena ran up to him. "Alain!" she said as she hugged him. "Long time no see cousin," he said as he returned the hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, this is a reunion isn't it and I am Professor Sycamore's assistant."

"Anyways, it's good to see you." They continued their chat with Alain and were soon joined by Paul and Trip.

**Phew. Thank God I'm done with this chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it. I'm keeping it really short with my summaries. So, Ash got a Riolu and Gary got two Ralts, a male and a female. I know you all know what they are for. That's it. I've introduced two new characters to the series, It's Wataru and Alain Sycamore. Hope you like them. The next update will be coming out next year. That is all from me. draconian216 out.****Happy New Year to everybody. See you all next year.**


	15. Chapter 14: Hello Celadon City

**Hey guys, sorry for the late update. I'm still alive by the way and a happy new year to you all. I'm here with the 14****th**** chapter of the Pokémon: Gotta Catch 'em All series. It's been a nice run so far and I really like this chapter. Sorry I haven't been able to update early and I apologize more. It took me a while to write this chapter, almost five months if I am not mistaken, but now it's out.**

**Chapter 14: Hello Celadon City**

It had been about two weeks since, Ash and Misty left Pallet Town. The Couple's Tournament was cancelled due to the forecasted storm that would have delayed everyone's journey. Even due to leaving on time, Ash and Misty's journey was delayed by days, but thank Arceus they arrived safely. "Hello Celadon City," a familiar raven-haired trainer said as they reached the entrance to the City.

_Celadon City. It wasn't the biggest place in Kanto, but boy would they be lying if they said it was small. It was the home of the Grand Pokémon Mart. The largest PokéMart in all of Kanto. This PokéMart is said to have any and everything purchasable in all of Kanto. Even the so-called rare items could be found here. Enough about the Pokémon Mart. Another thing that Celadon was famous for was the Game Corner. A place where people from all over the world can come, pay money to receive game coins, play any of the various games, and when they have enough coins, they could exchange those coins for prizes such as TMs, evolutionary stones, and even pokémon. At first when the Game Corner was launched, the League put it under review since the sponsor was anonymous and since nothing fishy was found, they decided to let it continue. It was launched fifteen years ago. _

_NOTE: Team Rocket was also coincidentally founded fifteen years ago. Or at least that was when they surfaced._

**Somewhere outside the Pokémon Center**

"Listen up guys. We've arrived in Celadon City and tomorrow we challenge Erika for the Rainbow Badge. Who is excited for that?" His team of twelve pokémon gave various battle cries. "So here's the deal. Erika's battle is going to be a three-on-three battle and to counter that format; it is going to be Butterfree, Beedrill, and Zorua. In case she decides to make it a four-on-four battle, I'll be sending in Tyrunt. And now, training time."

After giving his pokémon instructions, he watched them get to work. The Couple's Tournament was cancelled due to the storm that was forecasted on that day, so all of them had to leave for their journeys. He was at least glad that he had been inducted as an Aura Guardian in-training. Training went by fast and soon it was time to challenge Erika.

Ash stood in front of the Gym doors. This particular gym was themed like a greenhouse. As expected, grass pokémon worked better under direct sunlight due to the fact that it made their attacks more powerful. The building was as usual, in the favour of the gym leader. As Ash walked in he smelt something that almost damaged his nose. Unlike normal humans, Aura Users had heightened senses, and smell was one of them. Ash gagged profusely until he felt a pair of hands hold him up.

"Sorry about that. It's a new formula I'm working on. I'm surprised it affected you this much."

"Thank you," Ash said after managing to stabilize his sense of smell. "I have a strong sense of smell," he half-lied.

"Oh. Good for you. My name is Erika by the way," she said revealing herself to be Erika.

On hearing that name, Ash looked closely at her. She wore a faint green kimono (I'm not good with colours and dresses. Let's leave it at that). She had black hair and black eyes, and a warm smile on her face.

"You don't mean to say that you are Gym Leader Erika?" Ash asked.

She opened her eyes. "I am in fact Gym Leader Erika. Is there a problem?"

"Not really, except that I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader for the Rainbow Badge,' he declared boldly.

"Oh. If that is the case," she said as she led him to a small room. "I only accept challenges if…," there was a dramatic pause as she flung open the doors to the room. "If you buy a perfume." Ash fell down comically as Erika laughed lightly.

As Ash got up, he thought about Erika's offer. He knew that she was only joking, but he accepted because he wanted to give it to Serena as a gift. "Okay," he said in defeat.

"Alice," Erika called. "Please come sell this young man a perfume." A girl a little older Ash came in after Erika called.

"What perfume would you like?" she asked Ash. Erika had just left towards a dark corridor. "Umm…" after about a minute of searching, Ash picks a perfume and sniffs it. He nodded his head at the girl. "I'll be taking this one."

"That'll be one thousand poke dollars," she said. Ash nodded and gave her the money from his wallet.

"So," she started after packing the perfume properly for him. "If you don't mind me asking, who's the perfume for? I know for certain that it's not for you. You don't look like the type to use perfumes without being forced to."

Ash blushed slightly as she asked. "Well, you're right about me not using it. It's not for me but for a friend of mine."

"So are you going to challenge Erika?" she asked.

"Yeah. It is going to be my fourth badge."

"That's some confidence you got there. You'll need it against her. She's pretty versatile on the field."

"I'll be able to handle her. I have my ways."

"Okay then. Let's go," she said as she led him to the corridor that Erika had gone down. It took only a couple of minutes before they arrived at the battlefield. Erika was already on the opposite side of the field.

Ash looked at the field. It was plain but the ceiling was glass, and it let in a lot of sunlight. "Hey kiddo!" he heard Erika call out. "What's your name?"

"Ash Satoshi Ketchum," he called back.

"No wonder you looked so familiar. The son of the Master himself."

"Alice please be a darling and be our referee."

"Alrighty then," Alice said as she heads to the centre of the field.

"What level of battle will this be?" Erika asked her assistant.

"It's his fourth badge ma'am," Alice replied. After Erika settled down, Alice began. "The Gym Battle between Ash Satoshi Ketchum and Erika of the Celadon Gym will now begin. This is going to be a three-on-three battle for the Rainbow badge. Challenger has the first move."

Erika tossed a pokéball into the air and out came a Weepinbell.

"Weepinbell huh. Come on out Zorua," Ash said as Zorua came out of her ball.\

"Zorua vs. Weepinbell, begin."

"Leer into fury swipes."

Zorua leered at Weepinbell as she supposedly lowered its defense before shooting off with extended claws.

"Weepinbell counter with vine whip." Vines extended from Weepinbell as both it and Zorua clashed, claw with vine. Neither side appeared to be giving in, and they looked like they could go on forever. Erika decided to break the attack.

"Back and razor leaf."

Weepinbell dropped its vine whip attack, causing Zorua to almost trip and fall. Weepinbell proceeds to fire razor sharp leaves at Zorua.

"Bounce and follow up with fury swipes."

Using bounce, Zorua became airborne before kicking off against the roof and launching herself at Weepinbell. "Sludge bomb."

"Payback," Ash responded back calmly.

The purple sludge attack hit Zorua before she reached Weepinbell, but instead of stopping mid-attack, she continued with the momentum of payback as she slammed into Weepinbell, dealing double the damage Weepinbell dealt to her.

"I must say, I didn't expect you to reverse my attack with payback. Then again, you can't rely on payback because the move is also dependent on the stamina of both pokémon involved. Weepinbell power whip."

Ash understood what she said perfectly and nodded with a smile.

"Sucker punch." Before Weepinbell could latch out with power whip, Zorua slammed into him with a glowing white fist, and sent him tumbling.

"Now fury swipes," Ash commanded.

Zorua launched at Weepinbell, landing a direct hit with fury swipes causing Weepinbell to elicit a cry of pain.

"Weepinbell return the favour with petal dance."

A flurry of petals, courtesy of Weepinbell, slammed into Zorua and sends her flying across the field. Zorua got back up defiantly, indicating that she was okay for battle. "Zorua use dark pulse."

Zorua retaliates by blasting Weepinbell with the dark energy. Weepinbell gets up after the attack with ease and glares at Zorua.

"Weepinbell seed bomb."

"Sucker punch."

Faster than Weepinbell could use seed bomb, Zorua's fist met its face. The grass type was launched upwards before landing with a thud.

"Dark pulse."

Zorua shot the dark energy at Weepinbell's downed body, further causing the grass type damage. "Don't let up!" Ash shouted and Zorua amped the power behind the attack until an explosion occurred. When the smoke cleared, Weepinbell was out cold.

_Okay. I hope no one is surprised at how fast the battle occurred or how Zorua knocked out Weepinbell. In case we have those who are surprised, here's my reason. Zorua while being in her pre-evolved form and is still young has trained in the wild before she was caught by the league to be used as a prize in the St. Anne. She is also older than two months and has experience. The fact that she is a Zorua also helps as she is on a totally different class from Weepinbell. I sincerely hope that that clarifies it all._

Erika silently returned Weepinbell while throwing another pokéball. Out of it came a Leavanny. A grass type native of Unova.

"Leavanny vs. Zorua begin."

"String shot and then leaf blade."

"Dodge and fury swipes."

Faster than Zorua could dodge, string shot had already trapped her. Leavanny's scythe-like arms glowed green before it came upon Zorua with amazing speed and slashed at her. Zorua was sent tumbling back by the force of the attack.

She got up and that was when Ash noticed that Leavanny was in a totally different league from Weepinbell.

"Quick attack and Leaf blade, back-to-back." Leavanny shot off again with scythes glowing green. It slashed at Zorua before coming back again and slashing at her. Soon, Leavanny was just a green blur on the field as it kept slashing at Zorua continuously.

"Leavanny use night slash."

"Zorua dark pulse."

Leavanny's scythes took on a purple glow as it shot off at Zorua who had unleashed the dark move. Leavanny swerved to the other side as dark pulse passed her and slammed into the psychic barriers. Leavanny's scythes found their place on Zorua's face as she was sent into the ground.

"Zorua is unable to battle. The victory goes to Leavanny. Challenger send out your next pokémon."

Ash returned Zorua and thanked her for her hard work. He took Beedrill's pokéball from his belt and released the bug/poison type. Beedrill came out of her pokéball and soon took a fighting stance.

"Beedrill vs. Leavanny begin."

"Focus energy and then drill run."

"Leavanny counter with energy ball."

Beedrill glowed with a red aura before her drills began to spin with ground energy, before launching herself at the energy ball that was heading straight for her. She thrust her drill into the attack, blowing it away and making her way towards Leavanny.

"Dodge."

Leavanny expertly side stepped as Beedrill came rushing past her. Being the kind of battler that she was, Beedrill made a U-turn and slammed into Leavanny with all her might. The impact sent Leavanny sprawling across the ground where she skidded to a stop.

"Quick attack into leaf blade."

"Rapid fire poison sting."

Leavanny's scythes glowed green as she squatted and shot after Beedrill. Beedrill just stood calm as she brought forth her stingers and unleashed a barrage of poison stings. Leavanny tried dodging, but to no avail as one by one, the super effective move slammed into it and knocked it down. A purple glow soon covered Leavanny, indicating that it was poisoned.

"Shit. That's not good," Erika muttered. Ash had drawn her into a trap.

Meanwhile, the raven-haired trainer was smirking. His plan rested a lot on luck, but now that phase one was complete, phase two could be set in motion.

"Move in for a bug bite attack."

"Don't back down Leavanny, use bug buzz."

Leavanny's flaps began to vibrate at a high frequency, releasing red sound waves into the air that disoriented Beedrill, halting her attack. "Now solar beam."

Ash's eyes widened as Leavanny began charging the powerful grass type move. "Beedrill snap out of it and use solar beam too."

Beedrill recovered from the bug buzz to see Leavanny about to fire solar beam. She quickly began to charge her own beam. When Leavanny was done with charging, it let loose the beam of pure grass energy. About a quarter distance between Beedrill and the beam, she released her own, and almost instantly both beams clashed and after about ten seconds, they exploded. The resulting explosion kicked off dust and smoke covered the field. Beedrill had taken more damage due to being closer to the explosion.

"Beedrill!" Ash yelled. As the smoke cleared, Ash could see Beedrill struggling to keep herself in the air. There were burn marks all over her, and she was breathing heavily. Leavanny was also thankfully, not all the better. It also had burn marks all over.

"Beedrill, are you okay."

Beedrill nodded back at Ash.

"Leavanny, let's get back in this. Night slash."

Leavanny nodded and shot off towards Beedrill with scythes glowing an ominous purple.

'_We're going to use their momentum against them._' "Venoshock."

Beedrill opened her mouth as she spat a purple blob of boiling poison at Leavanny's incoming form. The attack exploded on contact and dealt double the damage due to the fact that Leavanny was poisoned.

'_He had this planned from the start. He purposely didn't use venoshock when he could have because then, I may have been able to uncover his plans. That is smart. And now, he has used Leavanny's momentum against it._'

Leavanny slowly got up after receiving the super effective attack. He got up only to have the purple glow wash over him. He was still determined to win at all costs.

"Sludge bomb." Beedrill gathered poison in her mouth as she spat the explosive blob of pure poison at the grass type. The blob exploded on contact as the move took effect. Leavanny tried to stand up but couldn't and was soon out cold.

"Leavanny is unable to battle. Victory goes to Beedrill. Gym Leader send out your final pokémon."

"I must say Ash. Well done bringing me to my final pokémon. I hope you're ready for him."

"As ready as I'll ever be," Ash said with a smirk.

Erika nodded as she took her final pokéball and tossed into the air, the light from the pokéball died down, revealing a green bipedal pokémon. It had a red mushroom on its head and a tail that ended in what looked like a bunch of berries.

"Breloom," he said as he came out. He jumped up and down, mimicking the movements of a boxer. He was fierce.

"That Breloom sure looks tough, but it's not something we can't handle." Ash returned Beedrill, earning a confused look from Erika before tossing a pokéball into the air as he released his Butterfree.

"Why the change Ash?" Erika asked.

Ash simply shrugged. "I promised him a gym battle he'll never forget, and I intend on keeping that promise. "Right buddy?"

Butterfree responded with a nod as he took a fighting stance.

"Breloom vs. Butterfree begin."

"Breloom quick attack!" Erika ordered sharply. The grass/fighting type shot off at blinding speeds towards Butterfree who just stood there awaiting Ash's orders.

"String shot, send it flying and then confusion."

Butterfree opened his mouth as he shot silky thread at Breloom, wrapping the grass type, before sending it flying. Butterfree's eyes glowed a second later as he sent a wave of psychic energy that slammed into Breloom.

Breloom got back up after the confusion attack and stood facing Butterfree.

"Growth and then grassy terrain."

Breloom gave a battle cry as a green aura washed over him. After the aura died, he growled as the entire field was bathed with plant energy. Plants began to grow on the field. Breloom growled once more as the plants seemingly stopped growing and began to sway in an invisible wind.

'_That's not good. She is intent on turning this battle in Breloom's favour. That means I have to act fast._' "Butterfree use wing attack."

Butterfree's wings glowed as he charged Breloom. "Catch it," Erika ordered.

Breloom simply put forth his claws as he stopped Butterfree. The bug type was also in shock that his attack had being easily halted. "Seismic toss."

Breloom held on to Butterfree tightly as he leapt into the air. While in the air, Breloom began to spin rapidly before hurling Butterfree to the field. Butterfree impacted the field, causing a small crater to appear.

"Use quick attack to descend and then nail him with dynamic punch."

Breloom righted himself with the help of his tail as he sped up with descent with quick attack, leaving behind a white trail. His hands glowed a dangerous orange as he slammed it into Butterfree, causing an explosion.

"BUTTERFREE!" Ash screamed after the dust settled. The dual bug/flying type came out of his crater. His body gleamed a little before going back to his normal colour. He had used Harden to reduce the damage he took.

"That is one smart Butterfree," Erika muttered. "You ready to continue Ash?"

"I sure am. Butterfree quick attack and psybeam."

Butterfree shot off as he left behind a white trail of energy. His eyes glowed blue as he shot a beam of pure psychic energy. Erika countered by having Breloom use energy ball. Both attacks fought for dominance before exploding, kicking up smoke.

Butterfree burst out of the smoke, revealing glowing wings as he slammed into Breloom, knocking the grass type into the air and letting it fall back to the ground. Breloom got up and gestured at Butterfree.

"Venoshock."

"Counter."

Butterfree spat the purple blob at Breloom who swiped it away as a counter. This continued for some time until Breloom sent the blob at Butterfree. Erika decided to capitalize on the moment Butterfree used to dodge.

"Leaf blade." Breloom's claws glowed green as he leapt at Butterfree and delivered the strike. "Iron tail." Breloom's tail attained a metallic sheen as it swiped at Butterfree. It ended up hitting dirt as Butterfree had rolled out of the way.

"Silver wind."

The twin crescent wind slammed into Breloom as he was sent unto his back. "Wing attack." Not missing a beat, Butterfree's wings glowed white as he slammed his wings into Breloom's iron tail. They were both in a stalemate for about four seconds, before Butterfree broke and slammed into Breloom thanks to his initial momentum.

"Climb back and use solar beam."

Butterfree pulled back as he began to charge up solar beam.

"Solar beam and fire that beam with a jump."

Breloom nodded as he began to charge up solar beam also. Both pokémon finished their solar beam at the same time. Breloom leapt up as he fired the solar beam at Butterfree's incoming beam. Both beams met and clashed for a split second before exploding with a great force that shook the entire gym. Smoke and dust filled the entire field as both pokémon were knocked back from the force.

"BUTTERFREE/BRELOOM!" Both trainers yelled. After sometime, Butterfree flew out of the smoke and took a stance in front of Ash. Breloom also indicated that it was still conscious by shooting bullet seeds at the ceiling.

Erika nodded as she saw the state that Breloom was in and ordered him to absorb the energy from the grass and dissipate grassy terrain.

"Alright Butterfree, let's end this match with our new move." Butterfree's eyes flooded with psychic energy.

_Butterfree as a pokémon were one of the few pokémon that had the abilities of types that they were not related to. While being a dual bug and flying type, Butterfree appears to possess latent psychic energies that if they are trained properly, they would be able to use like a secondary typing._

Butterfree summoned all the psychic energy in his being as he began to charge solar beam.

'_What kind of attack is that? Breloom isn't done absorbing enough plant energy. He is going to need it if he is going to counter Butterfree's attack._'

After Butterfree had finished charging solar beam, he began to coat it with his psychic energy. The result of the mixing of psychic and plant energies caused Butterfree's wings to glow in sparkling colours. Ash mentally recorded the ordeal and focused on Butterfree who was now feeling the strain of the attack. "Are you ready Butterfree?" He asked as the bug type nodded.

At that moment, Breloom was done absorbing part of the remaining plant energy. "Breloom, full power focus blast."

Breloom gave a war cry as he charged one of the strongest fighting type moves.

"PSYCHIC SUN!" Ash yelled as Butterfree hurled the attack at Breloom. Breloom shot the focus blast attack at the incoming psychic sun. Both attacks clashed and without missing a beat, the psychic sun eradicated focus blast and slammed into Breloom in a mighty explosion.

The psychic barriers flared as the explosion occurred. The entire field swirled with both plant and all knowing energies. Butterfree was sent back by the force of the explosion. The smoke and dust kicked up took about two minutes to finally clear, and the result was very clear.

"Breloom is unable to battle. The victory goes to Butterfree. Since the Gym Leader has lost all her pokémon, the winner of this match is Ash Satoshi Ketchum."

"Yes," Ash cheered as he ran to pick Butterfree who was slumped on the ground after expending so much energy. "You did it buddy."

"Freeeee," the bug type responded.

"Ash," a voice called snapping him out of his celebration. He returned Butterfree as he stood up to face the grass type Gym Leader.

"I must say, that was an amazing battle style that you showcased just now. And that last move was unexpected. What did you call it again... Psychic sun?"

"Yeah. It's a move we came up with when we were coming here, and I'm glad it paid off."

"Keep it up and you'll place high in the league next year. From what I can see about your pokémon, Butterfree is definitely stronger than the rest, though Beedrill also surprised me a lot and had you kept her in the match, it would have taken lesser for Butterfree to take out Breloom."

"Thanks Erika. Is it okay if I ask for your help on something?"

"And what is that?"

"I need help with my Venusaur. Maybe some tips or something along the lines?"

Erika smiled. "I'd love to. Let's go out back to the training field."

She led him to the training field and gestured for him to release his Venusaur. Ash nodded and took out Venusaur's pokéball. He tossed it into the air and released the massive behemoth. Maybe behemoth was taking it too far.

The grass type let out a growl as he came out. Erika smiled, always eager to see a grass type.

"Seeing the way you battle Ash, I never would have thought that you would have a Venusaur as a starter."

"Well, Venusaur isn't my starter. My starter is Charizard."

"I must say I'm impressed, having two of the Kanto starters is no easy feat."

"Actually, I have all three of them," Ash said with a look of pride on his face. This caused Venusaur to smack the back of his head with his vines.

Erika smiled before whistling sharply. It was as though the ground began to shake at the sound of Erika's whistling. Ash looked closely and noticed a Venusaur making his way towards them. Compared to his Venusaur, that one was huge and massive.

"Say hello to my starter," Erika said as the Venusaur reached them. "She has being with me since I began my journey seventeen years ago. Now back to your pokémon, you're going to leave your Venusaur with mine for some time and then, we'll come back. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I'm down for that."

"Good," Erika said as she turned to her Venusaur and gave her instructions. The older Venusaur growled to Ash's and called him to her.

Erika in turn gestured for Ash to follow her. 

The training for Venusaur was brutal. He had to endure a couple of brutal power whips. After that Venusaur had him perform his attacks over and over again, intent on increasing the power behind them. She had also offered pointers to her junior when he performed an attack wrongly or poorly.

While Venusaur was receiving his brutal training session, Erika was giving Ash tips on raising healthy grass types, and the young Aura Guardian in-training was taking notes eagerly from her. Any pointer he could get was extremely valuable in his sights. Regular exposure to the sun was very necessary in the growth of grass types, because all their attacks were dependent on the intensity of the rays of the sun on their bodies. She said that regular exposure to the sun light was helpful as it helped increase the "_plant life_" being of grass types, and helped their attack power grow. The parts that were also to be exposed were not just any parts of their body, but they were the vital parts. For instance, in the case of Venusaur, it would be the tree on their backs.

She also advised a regular exposure to water, though not as intense as the exposure to sunlight, was still not to be taken lightly. Constant water intake would help in boosting their resistances to fire and heat related attacks.

Since grass types loved soil, she also recommended soil based pokémon food. Food that had a little bit of humus and fertilizer in them, you know to help in the growth area. Regarding that she also had Ash learn a powerful grass type technique that would help his team in battle. It involved the pokémon learning moves such as absorb, mega drain and giga drain. It was called _Rooting_. Her best bet was that her Venusaur had already began teaching it to use the move, so she explained it to Ash, by reminding him of what Breloom had done during their fight. The technique was useful in areas with sweet soil and was also evenly watered, allowing the said grass pokémon to absorb the nutrients directly from the soil. Sounds easy enough? Wrong. The tricky part of it all was siphoning the nutrient of the soil and transforming it into energy for the pokémon. So basically, it was just taking energy that was not yours and using the photosynthetic method of producing food, transforming that energy into something productive for you. It was a very taxing technique that required constant practice to get the hang on.

The last thing Erika advised him on was concerning Venusaur. She told him to not focus on his speed or attack power but that he should work on making him a tank that can shrug off attacks. Just that style alone would scare of most opponents.

As they got back to the two Venusaur, they noticed that Erika's was teaching Ash's how to use the infamous grass type move, ingrain. Ash walked up to them after their session ended. "How was the training session?"

Venusaur growled as he waved his vines. "Wow, ingrain, absorb, and mega drain. You must have had your hands full." He knew that she would have already taught Venusaur the concept of rooting. Before he could get on his thought train, Venusaur growled again.

"Yeah, yeah buddy. She told me too, and from our next training sessions we will begin to work on it."

Ash turned his attention to Erika. "Thank you so much Erika. I'll never forget this and I promise to take good care of my grass types."

"I should be the one thanking you Ash, for such a great battle and all. Just keep up that attitude and I'm sure you'll place well in the league."

"Thanks for the kind words Erika," Ash said as he turned around and made his way towards the gym exits. "Bye Erika."

"Take care Ash."

Ash quickly made his way out of the gym door, dropped off Butterfree, Beedrill and Zorua's pokéball headed directly for the Game Corner. He was determined on playing his best to win something from the Game Corner. He entered the huge building and saw a multitude of people on different slot machines. That was not all, some rich men and ladies were also in what appeared to be a casino area. But of course, this was a famous Game Corner in the entire world so of course he would see the rich and the wealthy.

He made his way to the counter and proceeded to talk to the lady behind it. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, how can I help you?"

"I'd like to purchase some game coins for the slot machines. How much is it?"

"It costs a thousand pokédollars for one hundred coins and ten thousand pokédollars for a thousand and fifty coins."

"Give me five hundred coins for five thousand pokédollars," Ash said as he handed her the cash from his wallet.

"Thank you," she said as she took the money from him. "Here you go." She handed over to him five hundred coins from behind the counter. "Thank you," Ash replied as he made his way to the slot machines. He set down his coins and began to work. His aim was a pokémon that couldn't be found in the wild. It was the pre-evolution of the same pokémon that had attacked them at the St. Anne. Porygon. It was the only pokémon that had the guarantee to not be seen in the wild. Come think of it, Ash was beginning to wonder how Team Rocket got their hands on so many of them. Did they create their own? That was for another day. His focus was on winning the slot machines and that was what mattered most to him. Porygon was worth nine thousand coins in the Game Corner.

**3 Hours Later**

After working his butt off for three painstakingly long hours, Ash had arrived at nine thousand coins. He took all his coins and made his way to the Cash out Area. He cashed out his coins and received his pokémon. The thing with Porygon was that they automatically followed others from the first person who commands them.

Before Ash left the building, a poster caught his eye. It was a picture of the pokémon world. Above it were two huge letters "T" and "R". The poster looked extremely strange to Ash's eyes. After sometime of pondering on the poster, Ash saw two guys that wore black caps and brown trench coats carrying some boxes out back. Ash monitored them closely as they carried the boxes back. The boxes were also seriously covered all over.

He decided to activate his aura sight under the shade of his cap. He looked closely at them and gasped as he recognized them as Team Rocket agents. He saw red. What where they doing here?

He looked closely at the walls and was able to make out a faint passage. He couldn't see further because of how thick the walls were. He decided to follow them. He saw them disappear through a side door in the Cash out Area. After waiting some minutes, he decided it was best to follow them.

He sneakily went out back without being noticed by anyone. He looked closely at the site where they disappeared through and noticed that there was no door. He activated his aura sight and noticed that the door was well camouflaged. After uncovering it, he tried opening it but to no avail. He looked around before noticing a small box near the door just high enough for anyone to reach. He removed the top and it revealed what looked like a screen that had the word "Password?" and four white circles. The bottom part had the keypads zero to nine. '_Guess it must require a password to open the door. How I'm I in the world going to get…_' At that moment, he remembered the Porygon that he had only recently won. "That should do it."

He released the normal pokémon from its confines. The creature made a digital sound as it processed its surroundings. "Hey Porygon, how are you doing? My name is Ash Ketchum and I'm your trainer from now on. I assume that now is not the best time to do this introduction because we're on a mission."

Porygon appeared to have processed everything upon hearing that Ash was his trainer. "Right now, I need you to hack into this device and input the password. Is that okay?"

Porygon nodded at that and materialized into the device. After sometime, he appeared on the screen in a sprite format. Ash didn't know much about the Porygon-line, but one thing he did know about them was that they had _bio-digital forms_. They were biological and digital hybrids and could enter into any digital system. They were basically working computers.

After sometime, Ash saw the passwords appear on the screen gradually and the door unlocked. Not a second later, Porygon materialize to his physical form.

Ash turned on his pokédex and spoke a command to it. "Pokédex run surface scan on Porygon."

Dexter, (the name Ash gave his pokédex) spoke in its usual animatronic voice. "Scanning Pokémon known as Porygon."

"**Porygon, the Virtual Pokémon. A man-made pokémon that was created as a result of research. This pokémon is made completely out of programming code and possesses the ability to travel through cyberspace.**

**This pokémon knows the moves conversion 2, tackle, sharpen, Psybeam, agility, recover, magnet rise, and shockwave. It learns no move by breeding and has the ability download and the hidden ability analytic.**"

"Awesome Porygon, you're just perfect. Welcome to the team," Ash said as he returned the normal type and went inside. It was basically pitch black and Ash knew that if he used Aura sight, it would give away his location, which was the last thing he wanted. Instead, he decided to rely on more traditional means and used aura sense. As he activated it, his vision soon became just like night vision.

He gradually made his way forward down the only path before stopping at a curve. "Xceed (the name Ash gave his Xtransceiver)," he said in almost a whisper.

"**Yes Ash.**"

"Give me my location coordinates."

"**Right away Ash… Sorry but it seems that were you currently are, is not registered on my database.**"

"Figures," Ash muttered to himself. "Begin 3D mapping of the area and please, send Misty my coordinates in thirty minutes."

"**Will do Ash.**"

Xceed got to work on mapping the area while Ash got down to tracking the Rockets down. He went slow and steady. He was already prepared for a battle and he was going to show them how much he had improved since the St. Anne. His current lineup consisted of Blaze, Golduck, Glaceon, Venusaur, Riolu, Porygon, and Volt. He kind of regretted on sending Blastoise home, but now was not the time for regrets.

He made his way forward until he came across a corridor that had faint lights. He had being working for almost ten minutes. The corridor appeared to have some doors and Ash decided to check the rooms one by one. He had opened about five doors before he came across one in which he heard voices. He heightened his aura sense usage to the max and could sense the auras of pokémon through the door. He also noticed the auras of the two grunts he saw earlier.

His hand quickly shifted to Venusaur's ball. This was it. Time for battle. He released the hulking grass type and instructed him to get ready to use sleep powder when he opened the doors. Ash took a deep breath as he covered his nose and flung the door open. "Now!"

Green powder flew through the air and before the grunts could do anything, they were fast asleep. Ash walked up to the pokémon that were held in the cages and noticed that there were majorly just normal pokémon with the exception of the rare few like Pinsir, Scyther, and Graveler. He quickly ordered Venusaur to use an extra strong dose of the powder to put them to sleep.

"Let's go," he said as he turned to his grass type.

They did the same thing for the next two rooms before they came across the camera room. He slowly opened the door after noticing the presence of two grunts. "Incapacitate them with vine whip and put them to sleep. Venusaur nodded and as Ash opened the door, he extended forth his vines and captured both of them and put them to sleep.

Ash released Porygon and ordered the virtual pokémon to erase all the video footage and disable all the cameras in the building. The Virtual Pokémon nodded and began its work on the computers, erasing every single file that he could, though there were a couple of files that it could not erase, but Ash instructed it to exit the computer.

He continued his mission and soon spotted three grunts. They were in a three way discussion about matters that were most likely Team Rocket.

"So how did you end up in Team Rocket?" the first one asked.

"Well… long story short, Petrel saved my life when I was younger and after seeing my skills, he offered me a job in Team Rocket."

The other two looked at him before bursting into laughter. "What?!" he yelled, slightly annoyed.

"There's no way in hell Petrel would recognize someone's skills in this agency, and the position they just so happened to give that person was a grunt?" this intensified the laughter between the two.

"That's so true man. Damn bastard thinks he can fool us. You're a freaking bastard."

"Am I interrupting?" Ash asked.

As they turned to look at him, he quickly shot three aura spheres at the grunts. "Now Venusaur." The grass type released a cloud of green powder that the grunts inhaled. Quickly as they inhaled it, they fell asleep.

"Let's continue," Ash said to the grass type. He had a feeling he was getting closer. It was just easy. '_A little too easy._' As soon as he took a right turn, an alarm went off. '_Damn. Motion sensors were placed in this area. I must be getting closer._' A few seconds later and Ash was hearing voices, and from the sound of it, the voices were getting closer.

A horde of Rockets appeared in front of him. There were flashes of light all over as the Rockets released their pokémon. "Guess it's now or never." The flashes of light condensed into different pokémon. Ekans, Zubat, Rattata, Koffing, Weezing, Raticate and Arbok filled the entire hallway. Ash responded by releasing Glaceon, and Volt to counter them.

Immediately Ash activated his aura sight and began giving orders to the various pokémon. "Volt go after the Zubat and the Rattata. Hit them hard. Glaceon go after the Ekans, Raticate and the Arbok. Venusaur you go after the Weezing and the Koffing. Don't hold back for anything at all."

Ash released Porygon and Riolu to fend off against any attackers that got too close for comfort.

Ash's pokémon charged forward with all their might as they mopped the floor with the Rocket's pokémon. Ice beam after ice beam escaped Glaceon's mouth as she blasted pokémon after pokémon without missing a beat. She occasionally switched her attack pattern to include iron tail and some other ice based moves. She encased her opponents with ice before bashing them with a powerful iron tail, one shotting weaker opponents. The ones that escaped this combo get to face the full wrath of Glaceon's ice powers. She would bite into some Arbok and literally use ice fang on them, thrashing them about. She would also use icicle crash on them, knocking them out. She would also use baby-doll eyes to lower their attack. She wasn't holding back for any reason. She also did well to trap the occasional grunts that caught her eyes.

Volt on the other hand was a different issue. He was mowing through the enemy lines. He was blasting Zubat all over with thunderbolts and nailing Rattata with fighting moves. He wasn't going to slack off cause he saw it as a training opportunity. The occasional pokémon that got to sneak up on him where met with a powerful jolt of thunder. There was no room for slip ups. He continued bashing them continuously until none would be able to get up. He made sure to use thunder wave to paralyze the Rockets that got too close.

Venusaur was more or less enjoying himself. Bashing Weezing and Koffing with power whips and sending them bouncing. He didn't relent until he made sure they were knocked out. Occasionally, Venusaur would pick up Arbok and slam them into Weezing. He also did well to put the Rockets to sleep.

The occasional pokémon that did avoid that triple threat were faced with Riolu and Porygon's awesome power. Riolu slammed a Raticate with counter, sending it flying back at Venusaur. Ash almost felt sorry for the poor guy.

Soon, he had dealt with all the Rockets, save one. "I can't even rely on these guys to even take out a kid. I'm the Grunt Leader here and I apologize for your death."

'_This guy must be really powerful if he is talking like that. I need to be cautious._' "Stay on guard. I'm getting really bad vibes from this guy." His pokémon nodded and all took defensive stances in front of Ash.

The Grunt Leader tossed two pokéballs into the air as he prepared to face Ash. The light from the first pokéball condensed into a bipedal bright yellow pokémon. Its tail had black stripes in the form of rings and a bright red bulb at its tip. It had three ringed black stripes on its neck and two ringed bright stripes on each ear. A red bulb at the center of its head, with a small machine at the back of his head, probably the rage device. The second materialized into a hulking brown pokémon with a yellow ring at its center. It had sharp, large claws and hair-like shoulder pads. At the center of its head was a small machine, the rage device.

"Ampharos and Ursaring," Ash muttered. "Venusaur use rooting and replenish yourself. The rest of you… here." He tossed a max potion to both Volt and Glaceon. Venusaur sprouted vines from his back that tore through the ground, sapping the nutrients from the soil with ingrain. Volt and Glaceon both consumed the max potion as they awaited Ash's orders. Ash's eyes flared with aura as he activated aura sight.

"Kill them."

"Riolu and Glaceon, go after the Ursaring. Immobilize it and don't engage in direct combat unless necessary. Volt and Venusaur, take the Ampharos. Let's do this."

Ampharos charged at Volt and Venusaur with flaming hands. It reared back as it thrust its fist, only to be countered by Volt's fire punch. Both fists clashed but Volt was launched back by the force of the blow. Venusaur took the opportunity to wrap Ampharos with his vines and toss it at Ursaring, tripping the Hibernator Pokémon.

The Ursaring got up as it made his way towards the pokémon. "Riolu vacuum wave and Glaceon ice beam."

Glaceon quickly froze the hulking pokémon, allowing Riolu to land his vacuum wave attack. Ash's eyes darted back and forth. A plan was forming in his head. He was drawn out of his thought by a hammer arm nailing Glaceon and sending her flying.

Volt retaliated by unleashing a full power thunder attack on the Hibernator pokémon. "_It will be best to have them fight as a united force. I have no idea how powerful this rage devices work so I'm basically a sitting duck._' "Change of plans. Attack as one unit." All his pokémon roared as they got his gist.

Ursaring roared as he charged up a hammer arm, only to be intersected by a power whip from Venusaur. They got tied up in a power tussle and kept on dragging back and forth, neither side giving in. Glaceon roared as she bit an ice fang into Ursaring's leg, eliciting a grunt. Riolu took to the air and began to continuously nail force palm upon force palm Ursaring.

Ampharos shrieked as it released a point blank thunder attack on them. Venusaur had to quickly break the power tussle and throw up a protect to block the attack. The attack broke through the protect after some time and hit Venusaur. The grass type roared as the attack struck him. Despite the fact that the move was not very effective, it still dealt a lot of damage to him.

Volt instinctively charged up a thunder punch and took the thunder attack, cutting the attack towards Venusaur. Meanwhile, Ursaring had broken free from its attacks and tossed Riolu at Venusaur who was desperately trying to recover from the attack he just received. Glaceon quickly charged up iron tail on Ash's command and used quick tail to continuously assault Ursaring, causing the Hibernator to grunt.

Ampharos cut off the power to the thunder only to be hit by a thunder punch from Volt. It stumbled back a few feet and Venusaur bashed it with power whip. The Ampharos flared with power as it used electro ball on Volt. The electric type crossed his hands as he took the full brunt of the move. Volt shrieked in pain as the attack exploded.

"No!" Ash yelled as the grunt smirked. "Toxic on the Ampharos." Venusaur spat a huge blob of poison at the electric type. The poison move soaked its skin and it glowed a deep purple before grunting. An electric attack lanced through the air and nailed the Ampharos.

"Where did that come from?" the guard snarled. The smoke that stood were Volt once was cleared to reveal a bright yellow bipedal pokémon. It had two antennas on its head and a fang sticking out. "Buzz!" it yelled as its body flared with electricity.

"Volt, you evolved!" Ash exclaimed.

The electric type smashed his fist together as he generated a far stronger volt of electricity than he did as an Elekid. His arm glowed a deep orange as he charged Ursaring with a powerful hammer arm. Glaceon leapt back to avoid being caught in the crossfire of the attack.

Ursaring yelped as the powerful hammer arm crashed into the side of its head and it was knocked off its feet and into the sky. "Power whip." Venusaur's vines wrapped tightly around each other as they glowed an ominous purple. He smashed the power whip into Ursaring, sending the normal type crashing into the ground and creating a small crater.

Ash was pulled out of his thoughts by Ampharos smashing into Riolu with a brick break. "Glaceon ice fang."

Glaceon's fangs filled with icy energy as she sank her teeth into Ampharos' legs eliciting a grunt from the electric type. Before Ampharos could react, he was met with a focus punch from Volt. "Venusaur take out the grunt, you too Glaceon."

"What?!" the Grunt head said as Venusaur's vines wrapped around him and he felt ice encapsulating him. "No!-"and he was out.

Ampharos got up from the small crater that it had caused. "Sunny day Venusaur. Volt, keep it busy."

Volt's hands became ablaze as he engaged Ampharos in hand-to-hand combat, while Venusaur released a glowing blob of orange energy into the sky, creating a miniature sun. Venusaur's tree glowed with plant energy as he charged solar beam.

Ursaring growled as it used giga impact and slammed into Glaceon. The move knocked Glaceon out as she crashed into the wall where Ash returned her. While, Ursaring was recharging from using the move, Riolu began to continuously hit Ursaring with sky uppercut.

Volt flipped backwards as Venusaur was ready to fire the solar beam. Venusaur released the beam which crashed into Ampharos and impacted the electric type into the wall, shaking the entire building. As the attack ended, the electric type was hit by a powerful thunder from Volt. The combined attacks knocked it out and Ash turned his attention towards Ursaring.

**Meanwhile…**

Misty had followed the coordinates Ash sent to her and was making her way inside the building. She had Starmie outside and had ordered it to use flash.

**With Ash**

Ursaring was knocked out by a combined focus punch and sky uppercut by Volt and Riolu. Ash breathed a sigh of relief but stopped himself as he felt someone enter within the range of his senses. He calmed as he saw that it was Misty.

"Ash are you okay?" she asked as she approached him.

"I'm fine now."

"You really littered the floor with Rockets."

"Yeah, but I am not done yet. There's still more to this place and I'm not leaving until I find out what it is."

"Then let's hurry up and get out of here," she said as she pulled him. He returned his pokémon save Venusaur. They continued their mission as they made their way to a hall. The hall had no lighting whatsoever and Misty ordered Starmie to use flash. As they made their way through the hall, they come across a door. As Ash opened the door, it revealed a lab. There were tubes filled with water and they contained Ditto cells and it looked like they were being stabilized. They were a couple of tubes with other rare pokémon.

There was a table with a large note opened on it. A pen was on top of the book, a microscope was by the side and there was a lamp directly above the book. A computer was also open on top of the table.

Ash peered into the book. It read,

"_March 1__st__, 2011._

_The boss has ordered the Rocket's best scientists to work on a rather… delicate project that involves the mythical pokémon Mew. It's a good thing that I have been assigned to head the project, being an Executive has its perks._"

Ash flipped the page and read carefully.

"_March 28__th__, 2011._

_We have gotten our hands on the DNA of the Mythical pokémon Mew and have began the process of using it to create a Super Pokémon, but first, the boss says that we should test out the theories on other pokémon before genetically engineering a pokémon from Mew's DNA._"

He flipped towards the end and read the last page.

"_It took more than a year, but our experiments have become a success. The Super Pokémon we created from tiny, microscopical fragments have shown promise, and the Super Pokémon experiments have begun. Only two more DNA samples from the other Super Pokémon are needed. They are vital and as soon as they are done, all experiments will be directed to create the Super Pokémon, Mewtwo._"

Ash's eyes darted to what was in front of him. There were two large tubes, probably the two pokémon who's DNA are needed for the creation of that… Mewtwo. In the tubes were an Alakazam and an Absol. They were inside a green liquid that was probably keeping them in stasis. They also appeared bigger than normal pokémon of the same species. Ash looked at the machine that they were hooked unto. It showed that each of the pokémon was fused with enhanced Ditto cells and had their genetic makeup altered to increase their power.

"I better destroy these machines, which should put a dent in their plans," Ash said as he released Blaze. The fire type came out with a bored look but as soon as Ash mentioned the Rockets, he became angry and spat a plume of flames. Before Ash could order Blaze to begin trashing the place, a voice interrupted him.

"What the hell are you two doing in here?"

Ash and Misty turned around to see a woman by the door. She was wearing a lab coat with the Team Rocket insignia and she had orange-brown hair. Ash retorted in anger as he jabbed a finger at her.

"I'm here to put a stop to your plans."

"Let me guess. Raven black hair, chocolate eyes and zs on his cheeks. You must be that little brat that Petrel and the others were complaining about. My name is Ariana and I'm the fifth of Team Rockets executives and I'm so going to love killing you," she said as she held out two pokéball.

"You're on," Ash replied as he held out a pokéball. "Blaze I need you on standby." The fire type growled as he heard this but obeyed.

Ariana tossed her pokéballs into the air. The lights materialized from the balls and condensed into two distinct forms. The first light condensed into a huge purple snake-like pokémon. Its appearance was similar to that of a cobra, possessing the same crest-like hood with a pattern in front and at the back. It hissed as it stood to full height.

The second was a huge blob of pure poison that reeked. It had huge hands and no apparent leg. A huge mouth with no visible tongue and a black abysmal end.

"A Muk and an Arbok," Ash muttered as he released Venusaur and Electabuzz. "No time to explain, those are our targets. Attack with everything you've got."

Both pokémon growled as they charged their opponents. "Kill them."

Arbok and Muk gave their war cries as they attacked the opposition. Arbok slithered over and wrapped Volt, squeezing him tightly before tossing him into the path of Venusaur's vine whip. Venusaur withdrew his vines as Volt got up, only to be headbutted by Arbok again. Volt recovered and quickly used a powerful thunder attack on the surrounding area, but it didn't do much damage.

Venusaur retorted by using a power whip on Arbok, stunning it for a few seconds, allowing Volt to use a combo of thunder and fire punch on the poison type. Arbok recovered quickly and blasted Volt with poison sting.

"Call Officer Jenny!" Ash barked to Misty.

"Already on it," she replied as she was on her Xtransceiver.

Ash turned his eyes back to the battlefield to see both Venusaur and Volt taking a severe beating from their targets. '_Guess I'll have to rely on him,_' Ash thought to himself. He tossed a pokéball and out came Golduck.

"Muddy water and follow up with ice beam."

Golduck slammed his hands on the ground as he sent a wave of mud at their targets. Venusaur used protect to cover both him and Volt. Volt's antennas sparked as he sent a volt of electricity at their targets further electrocuting them. After the shock, they recovered like nothing happened.

"You think that's enough to stop me!" Ariana practically yelled.

Muk and Arbok began to rain sludge bomb after sludge bomb and successfully poison Ash's team. Ash was getting frustrated. "Blaze, let's do this."

The fire type growled as he destroyed the tanks containing the Super Pokémon and subsequently destroyed them, something which made Ash's rage burn more.

"You bastard! You've ruined me!" she shouted as Blaze rained destruction on the lab. She tossed a final pokéball into the air. "No holding back now." The light materialized into a purple pokémon with shady, bloodshot red eyes and a wide grin on its face.

"Gengar!" it announced as it fully materialized. "Kill them."

The Gengar faded and appeared, slamming a shadow ball into Blaze's gut and knocking the fire type off balance. Blaze roared as he spat a plume of flames at the ghost type, but it dodged and used hypnosis to put Blaze to sleep. It flew off and attacked the others with the rest of Ariana's pokémon. Arbok was wrapped around Volt and was squeezing the life out of him. Muk had restrained Venusaur with the help of Gengar. Volt was knocked out swiftly with a shadow ball from Gengar and so was Venusaur.

"Kill him and the girl."

Arbok slithered forward as it used glare to paralyze Misty, before proceeding to wrap and squeeze her tightly. She couldn't even release any of her pokémon as she felt her life slowly slip away. Muk sent hurled blobs of poison at Ash, but he flared up and blasted each and every one with aura spheres.

Gengar faded behind Ash and slashed the base of his neck earning a pained shriek and knocking him down. "Aahhhh!" Ash screamed as Gengar charged a shadow ball in front of him. Blaze's eyes opened as he darted off and used wing attack to slam into Gengar, sending it hurling into Arbok and Misty. Blaze's tail flame flared up and grew into blue flames. It wasn't blaze activating, he was just really pissed. He spewed a torrent of blue flames at Muk, and blasting it into the wall. He raged as he continued to spew flames.

"Subdue him!" Ariana shrieked.

Gengar formed two shadow balls as it faced off against Blaze. Blaze picked Ash and sent him to Misty who was now free from Arbok's grip. Ash hurriedly went to her as he watched Blaze face off against three powerful pokémon.

Blaze began the assault. No one was going to threaten the life of his trainer and get away with it. He was going to prove why he was the strongest pokémon in Ash's team. He hated that he was unable to do anything at the St. Anne, but now he was going to do something.

He spat a stream of flames as he slammed the ground with all his might, shaking the entire place and causing the poison types to spasm from the super-effective move. All but Gengar who hurled both shadow balls at Blaze. Blaze responded by blasting the incoming ball with flames and pushing it slowly towards Gengar before it exploded, sending debri everywhere.

Xceed suddenly spoke. "Officer Jenny is about half a kilometer from here and she's with backup."

"What?! This is bad… real bad." She recalled all her pokémon and fled. Ash passed out after exhausting his aura trying to restore Misty back to capacity. Just before passing out, he ordered Xceed to tell them what happened.

Blaze was able to recall all of Ash's pokémon to their pokéballs and passed out after expending so much power.

Officer Jenny arrived a couple of seconds later and was horrified at their state of being. She had apprehended all the Rockets that Ash had taken out and was with Erika.

**Yay, I'm done with this chapter. Hope you all liked the fight scenes and the way I wrote this chapter. I can't promise to update early, but I can promise that I will never leave this fanfic for anything. I'm also writing a Boku no Hero Academia fanfic. It's called Boku no Hero Academia: Dawn of Heroes. Please also remember to stay inside during this time of pandemic of the corona virus. We can only hope and pray that the crisis would soon be averted. Practice social distances and always remember to wash your hands clean with soap and water. **

**I haven't been active due to some issues. My phone, my primary control was stolen in school and it pushed me back a lot, but with God all things are possible. I've started to regain myself slightly. Please do well to support my YouTube channel, draconian216 and Botu Peremobowei. Thanks a lot. Have hope in this time of crisis. draconian216 out,.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 15: Journey to Fuschia**

'_Where am I_?' A voice said. It was Ash's. He saw himself in a dark void, an empty space. He slowly and reluctantly began to move around the place to see if he could find anything. Nothing.

"**Do not fret my child**," a voice boomed into existence. Suddenly, a part of the dark void shone so bright that it covered a majority of the void.

The presence that soon covered the entirety of the void was something that shook Ash to the very foundation of his existence. Ash couldn't bear to stand as the ground shook violently and furiously. The bright part of the void soon became flooded with clouds as something reminiscent of the rays of the sun shone through them.

"**It's a pleasure to meet you… well partially meet you since I can see you but you can't see me,**" the voice said before laughing and causing Ash even more tension.

"Who are you?" Ash mustered up the courage to ask.

The being stopped laughing and answered his question. "**I'm sorry, but I can't tell you who I am just yet just to keep things kind of interesting, but I must say that I am pleased to make your acquaintance Ash Satoshi Ketchum.**"

"H-How do you know my name?" Ash asked.

"**It's kind of a long story, so let's just say that ever since one of my children was befriended by a human, Jeremy Ketchum, I had to look into that. That's why I gave your clan the ability to use aura.**"

Ash nodded, taking in the information very seriously.

"**I am going to be quick as your time is almost up.**" The voice lost all traces of play and became very serious. "**Be brave and don't lose hope. The times ahead of you are going to be tough and eventually you'll need to be prepared for the future. I need you to continue doing what is right even if it seems the world is against you. Hold tight to your friends and I don't mean your pokémon friends but your human friends. There are things that you'll need your human friends for that your pokémon friends won't be able to solve. Work hard and groom your skills as they will help you in the coming times.**"

"Why are you telling me that?" Ash asked.

"**In time everything will come to light and you won't be left in the dark anymore. Apparently you're waking up and our time is up. See you later.**"

"Wait!" Ash yelled but he was slowly fading away. "I have more questions to ask-"and he faded away.

Out from the brightest part, a figure stepped out. It was a white equine resembling centaur with a grey, vertically-striated underside. The striated pattern has similar recurrences on the underside of its mane, tail and face. Its four pointed feet are tipped with gold hooves. Around its torso was what appeared to be golden wheel with four spokes sticking out of it. It was Arceus, the creator of all that is pokémon.

"**Well that went better than expected.**" Arceus chuckled as he said that. He had invaded Ash's subconscious and had spoken with him. He had not told him who he was so as to not upset the balance of things. Even though he could fix things if they got out of hands, it was best to avoid a scandal. The first part was done. Arceus needed to act fast but according to the time stream, if not he would be escalating things and constantly rewinding time back to base again which would be a real drag. He already knows all that will happen and that the fate of the world was in the hands of Ash, something he could not interfere with because he had written it and never went back on his word.

Ash opened his eyes to the real world. He was in the Pokémon Center. He knew that much because all their ceilings were made with the same material and in the same pattern. He blinked as his eyes took adjusted to the brightness of the area. He tried to remember the events that caused him to be knocked out. He remembered and his hands subconsciously moved to the base of his neck just below his shoulders. That was where Gengar had slashed him. If the ghost type wanted to kill him then, it would have done so.

He thought back to when Blaze had been extremely pissed and had activated blue flames in the heat of battle. ' _Looks like he just hit another milestone in his growth._'

The door flung open and in walked Erika and she was accompanied by a Nurse Joy. Ash pretended to be asleep as Nurse Joy began talking to Erika. She was basically explaining Ash's vitals to Erika and after she was done she left Erika alone in the room.

Erika was silent for some seconds before she spoke up. "I know you are awake Ash."

"How did you know?" he said as he opened his eyes.

"Years of practice. How are you feeling Ash?"

"I'm fine. How long have I been out?"

"It has been roughly a day." She took a pause, allowing Ash to process everything. After she was sure that he was okay she took a deep breath and sat on the bed beside him. "What were you thinking breaking into a Team Rocket hideout? You could have been killed."

Ash took a deep breath at the change in her tone. "I couldn't have just stood by and let Team Rocket just have their way stealing pokémon."

Erika understood what he meant by that. She was actually more surprised at how Ash had uncovered the hideout in the first place. "So," she began after Ash had visibly calmed down. "Care to explain how you found out about the hideout."

Ash seemed thoughtful for a moment. He was thinking of the best way to lie without getting caught. "Before you lie, I know you are an Aura Guardian in-training."

Ash sighed. "You didn't think our beloved Pokémon Master would notify the Gym leaders of his home region that his son had aura."

"Damn you dad," Ash muttered to himself. "I used my aura sight to read some dudes in trench coats and I was able to uncover that they were secretly Team Rocket grunts and they were handling stolen pokémon. I followed them and hacked their door with my Porygon. I made my way into the building, mapping the hideout as I did so."

"After I had taken out a couple of grunts, I came across a laboratory and read a journal that revealed that they were creating a Super Pokémon and an army of other pokémon that I don't actually know the purpose of."

"That's… interesting," Erika said. "Guess Team Rocket has some big plans."

"Yeah."

They were silent for a few minutes before Erika spoke up. "So… what are you going to do now?"

"Well I was thinking of heading down cycling road and going to Fuschia City to challenge Koga, but the thing is I don't know when I'll be discharged from here."

"You'll be discharged in two days and then you can go on your journey. Make sure to stay on the right path and take care of yourself. You seem to have a knack for getting into trouble."

Ash rubbed his head sheepishly at the comment. "What about Misty?"

"She's already out. She said she wanted to go get some things before coming to see you. She's pretty fine, just needed to rest."

Ash nodded as Erika got up.

"You've obviously proven yourself to me and no doubt I'd like to see how you fare in the Indigo Conference. Then maybe when you're good enough, you can come take on my elite team."

"Thanks Erika," Ash said as he beamed at her. "I'll make you proud."

And she left. For the next two days, Ash rested and gathered his strength. He received his pokémon during the last days and after that, he and Misty prepared to go to Fuschia.

Ash and Misty stood on the road that would lead them to the Cycling Road. Ash turned to Misty and nodded towards her as they began their journey once again. They made their way to the gate and paid the gatekeeper for the tickets.

As they reached the other side, they brought out their bicycle cubes and unpacked them. Before they began, Ash called his mom.

"Hey mom," he greeted with a smile.

"Hi honey. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine mom. I've just earned the rainbow badge from Erika and I'm on my way to Fuschia City."

"That's good to know honey. Hope your pokémon are doing well?"

"They're all fine mum. Just called to see how you were doing."

"Thanks honey. Now remember, the Cycling Road is filled with trainers that are itching to battle. Be prepared for anything."

"Okay mom. Bye."

"Good bye honey. Remember to change your-"Ash cut the call before she could complete her statement.

"Change your what Ash?" Misty asked slyly. The raven-haired trainer ignoring her as he spoke up.

"Alright Misty, let's go."

_Cycling Road was a long cycling district that linked Celadon City and Fuschia City. The road was about 50km long and while some would prefer to take the forest route to catch pokémon or battle them, a majority would rather take the short route and battle trainers as they go._

Ash and Misty began to cycle across the road. They came across trainers occasionally and had some battles here and there. Ash left most of the battles to Misty who needed the experience more. He knew the way the Cycling Road was, so he made sure to stock up on supplies. The journey on the Cycling Road took two days at the least, so they would be sleeping on the road for at least two nights. It was soon night fall, reason being that it was customary to accept any and all battles on the Cycling Road.

They packed up their bicycle and set up camp.

"How's training going?" Ash asked Misty as they huddled around the fire.

"Pretty well. I think I would be ready to take on the Gym Leader position by next year," she said happily.

"That's nice. I think you should consider catching more water types to add to your team."

"How's that?"

"Well… basically your team consists of water types that don't have a natural counter to electric attacks. What's best would be to catch more water types with diverse typing systems and can also cater for water type weaknesses."

"Oh I get it now."

"I'm gonna call Professor Oak and ask him to review your pokémon… physically at least."

"Thanks Ash."

"No problem Misty and then we can have a little sparring practice. Xceed call the Professor."

It didn't take long for the Professor to answer the call. "If it isn't Ash my boy… how are you doing?"

"I'm fine Professor, good evening."

"Good evening Professor," Misty chimed in.

"Good evening to you Misty, where are you guys now?"

"Well we're currently on the Cycling Road and we're headed for Fuschia City. I just earned the Rainbow badge from Erika and I'm hoping to challenge Koga for the Soul badge."

"That's good to know Ash. Y'know Gary said he is in Lavender town. He says he wants to spend some time meditating in Pokémon tower and hopefully catch a ghost type there. From then on he would head to Saffron City to receive some tutoring from Sabrina and hopefully defeat her. Leaf's in Fuschia City now as she is currently working with Daisy to perform routine checks on the Safari Zone."

"That's good to know," Ash replied.

"So why did you call me Ash?"

"Uhh… we need your help in reviewing some of Misty's water types… physically."

"Okay, let's see those pokémon then."

Misty took a pokéball and released her Kabuto. The dual rock and water type came out with a bored expression on his face.

"Well for starters, his shell seems shiny enough. Not much can be expected from Kabuto by only physical examination alone, but the Shellfish Pokémon's health can be determined from the look of their shell and I can say for sure that yours is pretty healthy."

"Thanks Professor," Misty replied.

"Before you release your Omanyte, please also know the same thing also applies for him. So if his shell is shiny enough, then he's healthy."

"Oh okay," Misty said as she returned Kabuto and sent out Politoed. The water type came out with a hop in her step. She croaked as she sprayed Misty with bubble. Misty giggled at the action and Professor Oak stroked his chin.

"I'd say, Politoed is looking quite well and she is also of a good enough size. Her pouches are also red enough. She is a fine looking Politoed."

"Thanks Professor," Misty said as she returned Politoed.

"Is that all?"

"Yeah, that will be all."

"Thanks Professor," Ash said as he cut the call.

"Okay Ash, ready for a training session?" Misty was clutching Gyarados' pokéball.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Ash replied with a wide grin on his face.

Misty tossed a pokéball into the air and released her Gyarados. The water type roared as he came out and trashed wildly. It was a miracle that Misty could command such a powerful water type without issue. Ash smirked as he ran his hands over his friend balls before settling on one. He tossed his friend ball into the air as he released Emerald. Instantly, Gyarados' glare caused Emerald to falter as her attack was lowered.

"I believe it is ladies first," Ash said with a smile.

Misty giggled before issuing her first move. "Gyarados ice fang."

"Remember Misty, when beginning a battle: take into account the opponent and then the terrain, if it favours your pokémon. Emerald I want you to use agility to dodge and come back at him with thunderbolt."

Emerald nodded as she slipped into agility, easily evading the attack from Gyarados' incoming form. She came back at Gyarados with the gem on her head sparking with electricity. The bolt escaped her gem as it came right at Gyarados.

"Gyarados dodge and iron tail."

Gyarados was able to use his body to evade the attack. His tail attained a metallic sheen as he brought it at Emerald.

"Use agility to dodge once again, and flank him with flamethrower."

Slipping into agility, Emerald dodged the iron tail that was swung towards her. Her throat filled with flames and she began spewing them at Gyarados.

"Keep your opponents at bay if they are stronger than you physically and come up with a plan. If they are weaker than you physically, engage and draw them out."

Emerald kept up with attacking Gyarados with flamethrowers which didn't actually hurt the water type, but just served to irritate it.

"Twister," Misty called out.

Gyarados slammed his tail on the ground as he brewed up a twister of pure draconic energy that slammed into Emerald and picked her up. The attack dealt some super-effective damage to Emerald.

"Emerald use agility and then rhyme your movement with the twister," Ash called out of the blue, after watching the twister ram into Emerald.

Emerald slipped into agility once again as she rhymed her movement with the twister and aligned herself a little. "Now dragon rush to break free and slam into Gyarados."

The Dragon Pokémon was soon shrouded in draconic energy as she broke through the twister and made her way towards Gyarados. The Atrocious Pokémon roared as he slammed his tail at her incoming form, but she evaded and slammed into the maw of the Atrocious Pokémon.

Gyarados reeled back from the impact and took a few seconds to regain bearing.

"It's always a good thing to surprise the opponent in battle and then, time each attack either sequentially or randomly, making sure that each attack connects."

"Gyarados, use earthquake."

"Emerald, into the air and use dragon pulse."

Gyarados slammed his tail on the ground as he caused the ground to shake violently. Emerald jumped into the air and formed a dragon pulse before launching it at Gyarados. The orb of draconic energy exploded upon impact with Gyarados' face and sent him reeling back.

"Follow up," Ash commanded.

Emerald didn't let up as she continued launching dragon pulse after dragon pulse at the Atrocious Pokémon.

Misty steeled herself and gave a command. "Deflect with iron tail and use ice beam."

Gyarados' tail once again attained a metallic sheen which he used to deflect a dragon pulse and then launch an ice beam at Emerald. The ice attack lanced towards Emerald who darted off with agility, avoiding the ice beam. Gyarados continued to chase after Emerald with ice beam until Ash called out to Misty.

"Misty you're just wasting power. Think of a way to hit your target without wasting power. That's what you should do."

Misty nodded as she thought of a way to nail Emerald with ice beam. "Gyarados use earthquake."

Gyarados cut power to ice beam and slammed his tail on the ground as he caused an earthquake. Emerald jumped up to avoid the attack.

"Ice beam!"

Gyarados quickly used ice beam to blast Emerald who couldn't dodge while in the air, resulting in a direct hit.

"That was a nice tactic and a super-effective one at that. You really picked up on that pretty fast."

Emerald reeled at the ice type move and soon collected herself. "Now use earthquake."

Gyarados rammed his tail on the ground as he sent an earthquake at Emerald's form. The dragon type once again launched herself into the air to avoid the attack. "That's enough for the sparring," Ash said as he called Emerald back to him.

"That's it for today's sparring," Ash said as he held out another pokéball. He tossed it and released Golduck.

"Send out all your pokémon." Misty released her entire team albeit she was a little surprised at why Ash said she should do so. Out came Starmie, Seaking, Poliwrath, Politoed, Kabuto and Omanyte.

"I hope you're ready for a long training session," Ash said as he held six friend balls. "It's going to be a one-on-one session between each pokémon." He released all six pokémon from their balls.

"Golduck you're going to be working with Poliwrath. You guys will be working on improving your fighting moves; basically you'll be helping Poliwrath work on his attacks." Both pokémon nodded as they went off to begin their training.

"Volt I want you to work with Starmie on defense. Make sure to brush up on blunt moves while helping Starmie improve its resistance to electric attacks." Volt nodded as he walked up to the more experienced battler. Ash was sure that Starmie would knock Volt out in a one-on-one fight while Volt still held the type advantage.

"Emerald will be working on extreme speed alongside Seaking who will also be working on getting used to fighting on land. Try to hit Emerald with everything you got." Both pokémon quickly made their way to a separate place to begin their session.

"Tyrunt will be working with Politoed. I want you guys to brush up on attack power together and also throw in a little speed training."

"Kabuto and Omanyte will be with Butterfree and Beedrill. There are no specifics of your training, but you're required to improve." They nodded and went off to work.

"Gyarados and Scizor you'll be together. Just have at it." Both powerhouses nodded and took a large clearing to spar.

Ash turned to Misty and gestured to a tree. Basically, while their pokémon were sparring, they would be researching on them. Ash was slightly ahead in his training, so he dedicated his time to help Misty.

"Alright Mist, let's first look up Omanyte," he said as he turned on Dexter.

"Give me Omanyte's file entry."

"**Right away Ash.**"

As the page came up, they began to read up about the fossil pokémon. One could count on Professor Oak to deliver on the most robust and accurate pokémon encyclopedia. This was actually the main reason the Professor went on his pokémon journey. He wanted to accurately understand all pokémon, and hence became a trainer. He journeyed the world and made entries every day of his life, something that promoted his once love interest, Agatha Shikimi, to tell him that pokémon were meant for battles. It was a wonder how he was able to even document all those details, even though limited in some areas as in legendary and mythical pokémon.

_Omanyte was a fossil pokémon, a pokémon category that have been extinct for years, but were able to be revived through stimulation of their fossils and bombarding with carbon particles in order to reconstruct their physical bodies. It was a process that took a whole day and must be taken with caution. The Fossil Generator as they called it, was developed by the lead tech company in the Kanto-Johto peninsula, Silph Co. Ash wondered how they were able to even come up with such ideas. _

_He cleared his head of all thoughts and directed his focus to Omanyte's entry. Omanyte was basically similar in appearance to an ammonite. It was also known as the Spiral Pokémon and was a dual rock and water type, with rock being its primary type. It was vital to note that Misty's Omanyte was male and were slightly aggressive. Omanyte moved by storing and releasing air within their shell, while also controlling the direction with their tentacles. Basically their shells were hollow in some ways to compensate for air storage, thus allowing them to float._

_The reason was because their shells had lots of chambers. And the chambers increased as they grew in age and size. Through the chambers, they can control the amount of water and air that enters, it was called a hyperosmotic active transport process. And with it they could control their buoyancy._

_Shell armor was Omanyte's ability, Misty's at the least. Shell armour protected Omanyte against critical hits. Shell armour coated the shell with chemicals that prevented attacks from going over a range that would damage the Omanyte beyond normal or super-effective hits. A second or hidden ability was Weak Armour, another ability that utilizes its shell. The weaker part of the shell's ability actually. Being hit by a physical attack causes its defense to fall, but its speed increases due to the unseen loss in mass of the shell. That was pretty easy to understand and Ash opened the move page of Omanyte._ He wanted to see which ones appealed to Misty so that they could work on it.

While Misty ran her hands over the moves, Ash released Blaze. The fire type came out with a roar and quickly flexed his wings and took off into the air. Thanks to been able to see through Ash's eyes while in the pokéball and the Aura bond that him and Ash share, he instinctively knew what to do. He was going to practice battling in the air on immobile targets, aka, trees.

Ash turned his attention back to Misty and nudged her. She was currently running all the moves that Omanyte knew in her head. He knew withdraw, bite, constrict and water gun. He also had the egg moves bubble beam, muddy water, whirlpool and water pulse, none of which were unlocked by the way.

"What move have you decided on?"

"I've decided on earth power. The move would give him an edge over electric types."

Ash nodded. Earth power was a tricky move to learn, tricky but not impossible. Plus, Omanyte had rock type as its primary type so that was a good thing.

Misty and Ash made their way to where Omanyte, Kabuto, Butterfree and Beedrill were training.

"Omanyte," Misty called to the dual type and it scurried over. "I have a move for you to work on, but Ash is going to explain it to you." It was best for someone more experienced than her to explain the move. "With it," she began. "We will be able to floor electric types!" She declared enthusiastically, with Omanyte joining her too.

Ash smiled as he opened earth power on the pokédex. Earth power: a ground type move that involves exploding the earth under a desired target. There were no detailed descriptions that showed how to perform the move. The entries that Ash was able to ascertain after looking at the screen for so long all pointed to one thing. '_Letting the pokémon get a feel for earth energy_'.

"Beedrill come here." The bug type buzzed over to Ash. "I want you to help Omanyte get a feel for ground energy. Can you do that?"

The bug type spun his drills in an affirmative yes before gesturing to Omanyte. Beedrill used drill run to show Omanyte how ground energy was. After the demonstration, Beedrill began buzzing commands to Omanyte who thrilled in response.

"Well... Beedrill has everything under control. So next is...?"

"Kabuto," Misty said.

"Dexter."

"**On it,**" The Pokédex said.

Kabuto's page came up not long after. Kabuto was the Shellfish Pokémon, a Pokémon that evolved into the powerful Kabutops. It lived closely with the Omanyte all those years ago and could only be revived by their dome-like shells. Apparently, there was a rumor that Kabuto still lived to this day. Who knows?

Kabuto was, like Omanyte, a dual rock and water type. They also had eyes on their back. Their real eyes were ominous red and apart from their eyes, shell and legs, the rest of their body could not be seen. They were also fast swimmers.

Kabuto, Misty's Kabuto had the ability battle armour, which functioned exactly as shell armour. It also had the hidden ability, weak armour. Ash switched over to the moveset of Kabuto and let Misty go over the moves. Ash whipped his head to see Blaze covered in flames hurling a dragon pulse into the air, and causing it to explode with a fire blast.

Ash smiled and turned to Misty who had chosen earth power. He called Butterfree over to supervise the training.

They moved on to the next pokémon on Misty's list, Politoed.

Politoed were a branched evolution of the Poliwag-line. It was as a result of giving a Poliwhirl a King's Rock to hold. The rock emitted a strange energy that resonated with Poliwhirl's DNA. Politoed were the weaker of the two final evolutions and opted to be a ranged fighter rather than a close ranged fighter like Poliwrath. They were usually at a disadvantage when it came to close combat battle. Misty had already decided on a move just as Ash showed her the move list.

"Focus blast."

Ash smiled at the choice. Focus blast was a very powerful fighting type move. It required the user focusing all their fighting energy into a single orb of power.

Ash pulsed his aura as Misty would probably have both Politoed and Poliwrath learn the move. Maybe Tyrunt should learn it too Ash thought. He pulsed his aura as he called the Pokémon to where he was.

"Golduck, I want you to teach Politoed, Poliwrath and Tyrunt focus blast. Think you can help them get a grasp of fighting energy."

The water type nodded as he gestured to his students to follow him. Ash smiled. All that was left was Gyarados, Starmie and Seaking. Misty was currently going about their move set so that when Ash came back, she would let him know. Volt was going to teach Starmie rain dance, Scizor would help Gyarados learn bounce and finally Emerald would help Seaking work on agility. That was the plan and they were going to follow it to the tee.

Ash and Misty were back on the road with Blaze flying overhead. The night before was productive and Misty was glad about that. Her pokémon had improved, even if it was a little, it was still an improvement. Omanyte and Kabuto had gotten a grasp on earth power; enough to make the ground around them vibrate ever so slightly. Focus blast was relatively easy for Poliwrath to grasp, Politoed not so much. The water type seemed to lack the focus that made focus blast what it was. The result was the attack exploding in his face every single time. Tyrunt had a better grasp on the move, though it was nowhere near the level of Poliwrath's, it was something that would give it an edge when facing steel types. Starmie had pretty much mastered rain dance, enough that it was able to control the clouds with ease. That stood to show that it was the strongest in Misty's arsenal. Gyarados had gotten the hang of bounce in a way that he was able to launch his entire body forward by using bounce. He was still a bit too heavy to carry his entire body forward. Agility was a perfect move for Seaking and the water type had been able to grasp the move.

They continued their journey towards Fuschia City, riding their bikes and taking in the cool breeze as night was approaching. They talked, occasionally even laughing about past things and generally sharing stories. They cycled in peace for a while, but sadly all good things must come to an end-"

Blaze swooped down as he spotted something making its way towards his trainer. He wasn't going to stand by and let something like that happen. He swung his claws in a slash attack as he cut through what appeared to be a focus blast. The force at which he came caused the attack to divide.

He roared a challenge, daring whoever had the guts to come out and face him. "Thanks Blaze," Ash said as he recovered from the mild shock at almost being hit by the fighting type move. Ash activated his aura sight as he located the perpetrators. Ash's eyes widened in shock, deep in the forest, just by the road, were a group of Primeape and Mankey.

"What was that Ash?" Misty asked, a bit taken aback by Ash's shocked expression.

"We've wondered into Primeape territory." He remembered the pokédex giving him a bit of warning at the possible appearance of swarms of pokémon. "Misty, pack your bike," Ash said as he let his mind flick through the possible options they had. They had wandered into Primeape territory and their numbers were just too numerous. He kept on using aura sight as he increased his range. The number of pokémon was too much and given the fact that their pokémon were tired from training, he and Misty had to run. He gestured to Starmie's pokéball and Misty understood what he meant. Thing was that the moment she released Starmie, the Primeape went into a frenzy.

"Run!" Ash shouted as he got on Blaze's back and Misty got on Starmie.

The entire horde of Primeape poured out from the forest like some sought of flood. They gave chase to the two trainers, hell bent on catching them and beating them into oblivion for no apparent reason. Some members of the horde were jumping from tree to tree and slowly gaining on Ash and Misty. One Primeape leapt from the tree as it charged a mega punch in its arm. Blaze swerved as he avoided the fighting type while Ash released Butterfree and Beedrill.

Both pokémon already knew what to do. Ash knew that escaping the horde was impossible, but fighting them was even more impossible. He wanted to buy as much time as possible so that he and Misty could stand their ground against them. Butterfree were perfect for the job of buying as much time as possible.

The Primeape responded to Butterfree and Beedrill by using rock throw. Both bug types expertly evaded the attacks before launching counter attacks of their own. Webs of bug energy were shot into the air, some sticking to the Primeape and some missing their target. Butterfree switched to using sleep powder but it was of no use thanks to vital spirit. Butterfree turned to Beedrill before releasing a huge load of poison powder, poisoning some of the horde. Beedrill followed up the attack with a powerful venoshock that was double the damage due to the fact that they were poisoned. Undeterred, the Primeape continued their pursuit. Butterfree and Beedrill still tried to keep them at bay, that is, until one of the Primeape's rock throw scored a direct hit on Beedrill, and knocked her out of the sky.

Butterfree followed and used psychic to blast some of the Primeape while he proceeded to escape their clutches. Ash recalled both of them, apparently angering one of the Primeape.

"Blaze, give me the thickest smokescreen you can muster. Misty, return Starmie."

As Misty returned the water type, Ash took her hand and pulled her atop of Blaze. The fire type opened his maw as he released a thick stream of smoke that clouded the vision of all, including Blaze. Ash was however not affected by the smoke; he used his aura sight to guide them over to a cave.

"Set us down Blaze."

The fire type nodded as he set them down at the mouth of the cave. He was kind of angry at the fact that he was not able to do anything to those Primeape. He growled as Ash led them inside. Ash and Misty were his priority so he couldn't actually stay to fight. But next time, those Primeape wouldn't know what hit them.

"Blaze, I will be going out to get some wood."

The fire type turned to him with a scowl in his face. He growled lightly and Ash perfectly understood that.

"I'll be fine," the raven-haired trainer said but Blaze did not even seem fazed at all. He growled at Ash and spewed a torrent of flames at the entrance of the cave. Ash got the idea that Blaze was not going to let him get out in any way. "I don't suppose you have a way for us to make fire huh?"

The fire type nodded as he ventured into the cave and came back some seconds later carrying a lot of dry wood. He nodded at Ash who kind of looked dumbfounded. He had not thought of the possibility of wood being inside the cave.

About ten minutes later they had a fire going and all their pokémon were out and about. Ash had Butterfree, Beedrill, Blaze, Volt, Riolu, Scizor, Golduck, Venusaur, Blastoise, Tyrunt, Clefairy and Zorua. Misty had all her pokémon with her, kind of like a temporary lift of the six pokémon limit.

"Okay everyone, food's ready." They all chowed down on the little snack that Ash made them. Each pokémon type had a particular berry associated with them. It was usually something that had a little taste of the type in them and Ash had made sure to make it to each type's liking.

"Now that everyone is full, let's get down to business. As we speak now, the Primeape are searching for us, and I'm certain that there is no way in hell we are going to make it to Fuschia without taking out this Primeape horde."

"Why don't we call the league and ask for help."

"I'm getting there. All the elite four members were out of Kanto for business. Basically the ace trainers and elite apprentices won't be able to make it now so we will call them in the morning right before we move out."

"So… you want us to fight the Primeape until help arrive? You're crazy you know that Ash Ketchum."

"Oh lighten up Misty. It's perfect training for all of us."

"If you say so." She knew he was right and they'd gain a lot of experience if they did just that. "Alright, so here's the plan…"

**The Next Morning**

After they had called the League and informed them about the situation at Cycling Road, they had made their move. One Ace Trainer may not be able to handle this… horde, so they had made up their mind to help out as much as they can until he\she came. Ash currently had Clefairy and Zorua out while Misty had Starmie and Politoed.

Ash had Zorua use illusion to shield them from the Primeape's lurking sight but that changed as they reached the road. They took the road because the Primeape would have an even greater advantage in the forest, but this was ridiculous. The entire road was crawling with Primeape and they were mad.

They continued their journey undetected, but Ash paled as he saw a Mankey talking to a Primeape and diverting the latter's attention towards them. The Primeape hurled a huge rock at their direction and it broke Zorua's illusion. The Primeape shrieked as they saw their targets. The good thing was that they had gotten a fair deal away from the horde and had gained a fighting ground of some sort.

The road broke into a frenzy as the Primeape came bursting from every corner. "Take the back, and I'll watch the front." Ash turned to guard the front area while Misty sent Starmie and Politoed to guard the back.

Clefairy ran forward ass Ash released Riolu to assist her and Zorua. Clefairy began the battle buy letting loose a loud cry that made all that heard flinch. Luckily, Riolu and Zorua had covered their ears. Seizing the opportunity, Zorua bounded forward with bounce as she slammed into Primeape and Mankey, not even bothering to pause and look at the damage. She was at a disadvantage here and if they caught her, she was out. Riolu had activated detect as he began clashing with Mankey and Primeape, evading their attacks before landing a couple of hits of his own.

A Primeape grabbed Zorua just before she could use bounce and used fling to send her flying. Clefairy's response to this was to slam the Primeape with zen headbutt. She bowled over them without hesitation and ploughed through their wall. She too was caught and was focus blasted back to Ash. She squeaked at him and took his bag and took out a glowing stone.

"Are you sure?" Ash asked her. She nodded. He has been there for her and now she wants to be there for him. She smiles as a blinding light takes over and her form changes. Her ears elongate and she apparently gains wings on her back. Her height increases as she approaches Ash's. With the power from her evolution, she charges back into the field. She lets loose a metronome and the resulting attack is a devastating sky attack. She glows a bright white as she bounces before descending with a mighty crash on the Primeape.

Riolu was having the time of his life as he was landing hits on the enemies. He had managed to knock out four Primeape. He winced as a cross chop found its mark on his neck. This gave the Primeape the chance to capitalize. He was met with a follow up fire punch that sent him into the air. Subsequently, Zorua was blasting them with dark pulse. She was however sent to the ground by a karate chop. She barked loud enough for Ash to hear her and release Butterfree and Beedrill.

A wing attack was all it took to send majority flying as he rescued Zorua and took the dark type back to Ash who returned her to her friend ball.

Misty was also doing well. Politoed had been knocked out by a triple thunder punch combo and she had sent out Poliwrath and Gyarados. Luckily for her, there were not much attackers on this end.

Riolu barked as he hurled a Primeape in a circular manner. The Primeape crashed into a tree with a loud thud. Ash winced at the sound of bone cracking as it impacted the tree. He looked at Riolu with eyes glowing blue. He was getting pretty tired but nonetheless still persevered. Butterfree tossed a couple pokémon with psychic but was blind sighted with a fire punch to the face. Far in front of Ash was Beedrill who had released several poisonous spores. As all around her glowed with purple energy, she proceeded to use venoshock, and further damage them. She followed up by charging a powerful solar beam attack. Butterfree nodded as he used psychic to hold the beam in place before hurling it down on the Primeape. The result was a massive explosion just like the one at Celadon City and it knocked out few Primeape and some Mankey.

One lucky Primeape that survived the attack glowed with a red aura as it slammed into Butterfree with double the power of psychic sun. Butterfree was knocked out of the sky where he dug a trench in the ground. Beedrill got angered as she used drill run to slam the Primeape into the ground and drawing blood. Ash returned Butterfree and clutched another friend ball. Ash hurled it and released a blur of blue that slammed into a couple Primeape with such force that they were sent flying, just as Clefable was knocked out. The blur came to a stop as it looked at the damage it had left in its wake. Soon, hail began to fall as Ash's powerful ice type and the sixth member of his elite began to create icicles from the air. She flipped backwards, avoiding two fire punch attempts as she dropped the icicles on her targets.

Similarly, the air also became charged as a roaring and angry Electabuzz smashed his fists together. He whirled his hands, sparking with electricity before shooting a massive thunder attack into the sky. The clouds responded to his plea by darkening and rumbling with thunder. With a cry from Ash all his pokémon fell back and Volt unleashed a massive thunder shower on the Primeape.

Ash currently had Beedrill, Riolu, Glaceon and Volt out of their balls, but before he could even begin to think, Riolu was knocked out with a focus punch. Apparently, the Primeape had attacked him while one of them charged up a focus punch. He returned the little fighting type and released Golduck. The Duck pokémon came out and immediately used future sight and followed it up with confusion. The psychic attack slammed into them as a couple of them were sent flying from the attack.

Ash watched as all of a sudden the Primeape decided to pull back. Ash decided to let up a bit as his pokémon came to surround him and Misty.

"What are they doing?" Misty asked, worry evident in her voice. The Primeape had begun to gather together and Ash noticed that they were charging up an attack. His eyes widened. They had given him some distance and had begun to charge up a focus blast attack. What even shocked Ash was the fact that the attack didn't take much to charge and it looked ready to be launched.

Ash instinctively sent out Blastoise, Venusaur, Scizor and Blaze. "Venusaur, Blastoise and Blaze use protect. I want the strongest you can muster." The trio nodded as they began to focus their energy. Ash meanwhile turned to the rest. "Hit that thing with the strongest attacks you have."

All the pokémon nodded as they let loose their most powerful attacks. A powerful psybeam escaped Starmie's gem. Gyarados shot a powerful ice beam at the incoming attack. Glaceon also responded by using an ice beam of her own and it was far more powerful than what Gyarados had released. Scizor fired twin flash cannons from his jaw-like hands. A powerful psybeam that was enveloped with thunderbolt was the present that both Golduck and Volt decided to give the Primeape. Beedrill charged up and unleashed the most powerful sludge bomb that she could.

As both attacks clashed, there was a powerful explosion as debri were launched everywhere. The protect that Ash had his pokémon set up only held up until the explosion died down. Apparently, the attacks of both sides were directed at the ground and as such, the earth was what took the majority of the damage. He heard a roar and looked up to see a figure descending upon them.

'_It must have been what diverted the attack to the ground,_' Ash thought as he watched the figure land with a thud. He examined the pokémon carefully. It had a singular sharp claw for its hands with fins underneath it, and on each arm were two spikes just near the shoulder. It was primarily a blue grey colour with what appeared to be thrusters on top of its head. It had yellow eyes and sharp teeth. Its leg was sturdy and there were three claws on each foot, two spikes running across each leg. It had a fin on its back and a strong, sturdy tail with two fins on both sides. It roared as if daring the Primeape to get up and try to attack it. It was a Garchomp, the final stage of the pseudo-legendary Gible. It stood at six feet and radiated power. Not power on par with that of champion level pokémon, but that of elite four levels.

There was a girl that looked like she was the trainer of said beast. She had blonde hair that flowed to just below her knee. That was all he could see from this angle and he ultimately took her to be the ace trainer the league had sent. She sure took her time getting there.

Ash returned all his pokémon, save Blaze. The fire type was definitely interested in seeing just who the heck the lady was. What followed after the Primeape tried to get up was not something that Ash had expected. The ground exploded as it made its way towards the Primeape. The move knocked them out.

"Hey!" Ash called out to her. She turned around and walked up to Ash. She was apparently smiling. "Thanks," Ash said as she reached him.

Blaze was apparently eyeing the Garchomp in front of him. He was trying to gauge how stronger the dragon type was than him.

"How are you doing?" she asked as she looked at him. "Sorry I arrived late, I was just curious to see how you would handle the Primeape…"

Ash's eyes widened in a mix of shock, confusion and anger. She had seen his battle apparently and had not stepped in. That was pretty reckless of her.

"… That is until you decided to use an attack that would have decimated the entire area and might have probably killed you. I just managed to divert it with hyper beam."

Ash rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. She was right and he knew it.

"Anyways," she said as she pressed a dial on her wrist. "I just alerted the league to my location and when they get here, we will round up the entire Primeape horde-"she was cut short as Blaze took off and barreled into a Primeape with aerial ace.

He took off before the Primeape could even think and just used air slash. This Primeape was also bigger than the rest and looked to be the leader of the horde. It was apparently pissed at the way that his subordinates were taken out.

"I guess your Charizard has everything under control," she said as she averted her eyes from the battle. "The name's Cynthia, Cynthia Shirona and I am from the Sinnoh region."

Ash nodded. All the way from Sinnoh to Kanto. "My name is Ash Satoshi Ketchum and I am from Pallet Town here in the Kanto region."

He noticed how Cynthia's eyes widened at the mention of his name. "I never imagined I'll be coming to the aid of the Pokémon Master's son…" she averted her eyes to Misty's form. "Who's your lady friend?"

"Oh… My name is Misty Waterflower and I'm from Cerulean City here in Kanto."

"Nice to meet you both-"They all turned to see Blaze get nailed with a mega punch. The attack sent the fire type sprawling on the ground, but he was quick to get back into the fight with a wing attack and ended the battle with a devastating dragon rush.

Ash hurled a pokéball as he caught the fighting type. He wasn't going to add it to his roster until after the Indigo League. He was okay with the fifteen pokémon he had to challenge the league. For now, Primeape was going to spend his time at the ranch. He sent a message to Professor Oak, telling him about the Primeape he had sent over.

"If I may," Cynthia said as she walked up to Ash. "Your Charizard has control over draconic moves far better than most dragon pokémon I've seen."

"Well… that's because, he is actually the son of my dad's Charizard and Dragonite, and we spent a year before I began my journey to just basically work on his moves with my dad, and the dragon type genes stuck to him."

"That's interesting," Cynthia said as she examined the fire type.

"What brings you to Kanto? If you don't mind me asking." It was Misty who asked that question.

"I don't mind. I came to Kanto to further my training because my elite four challenge is approaching and I hope to win it and become the next champion."

Ash just realized that Cynthia was a league winner. The elite four challenge was only given to those who had won any of the league competitions and it was a common occurrence in all the regions, with the exception of Alola who was still recovering from the wars. He had no idea if the Galar region did it the same way, but he hoped they were the same.

After winning the league, the trainer was given a whole year to train and then a month to successfully challenge all the elite four in order of weakest to strongest, and on whatever rules they chose for the battle. Losing to one of the elite four would mean that the challenge was over and that the challenger had lost, and they would have to beat the league again before they can have another chance. If the challenger successfully beats all the elite four, they would get to challenge the Champion of that region to a six-on-six battle for the title of Champion of that region. If they lost, they would be offered the position of elite trainer or if they wanted, they could join the elite four. If they won, then they would become the new champion of the region and then the former of champion would either join the elite four or just leave.

There were also opportunities for gym leaders and other recognized trainers to climb that ladder. Every year, a gym leader conference is held, kind of like the league conferences. This conference comprises of all gym leaders from each region and they battle it out to make the top sixteen. The top sixteen gym leaders are then permitted to participate in the Elite Four Conference alongside four elite trainers from each region. It is in this conference that elite four members can be reshuffled and replaced. The Conference was held every two years and the top eight were allowed to participate in the Tournament of Champions. A tournament that features the champions of each region and that is used to determine the strongest champion in the world.

From there, whosoever wished to challenge the Master provided they have completed the criteria.

"… Uh Ash," Misty called out.

"W-What?"

"You zoned out."

"Sorry… if you don't mind me asking, for how long have you being a trainer?"

"Umm… Roughly ten years."

"That's nice," Ash said as he turned around to face Misty."We should get going… hope you beat the champion so that when I come to Sinnoh I can have the liberty of facing you as a champion."

Cynthia smiled and nodded. "Hopefully… and good luck on your journey."

"Thanks for the help Cynthia. Good luck!" he and Misty left as they continued their journey to Fuschia.

Ash, Misty and Paul had arrived at Fuschia. They had encountered the purple haired trainer near the end of the cycling road training. Said trainer had already earned his badge from the elite ninja pokémon trainer, Koga. The purple haired boy was apparently training his newly caught Nidorino and his newly evolved Ursaring. Said normal type had evolved in the battle against Koga.

"Finally," Misty said as they reached the Pokémon Center. She was tired as hell from the trekking and battles that they had. "I'll go sign us in," she said as she walked into the center. The day was bordering towards the hours of evening.

"So… how's your Gible?" Ash asked.

The purple haired teen just shrugged. "She's coming along just fine, but I'm afraid I won't be able to use her until the league rolls by."

"Why's that?"

"The gym leaders left for me just so happen to be Sabrina, Blaine and Giovanni and they won't take it lightly with any pokémon you use to challenge them, with the exception of Erika. Until then, I'll just have to train her."

"I see. Well Zorua's coming along okay and unlike you and Gary who got pseudo-legendaries, I got a pokémon that was experienced enough to use her against Erika and come out on top."

"Whatever… Gary's also coming out strong, said he had evolved his Graveler and that both his Ralts had improved. Trip already has a Conkeldurr on his team and according to him; his Kangaskhan is an absolute powerhouse alongside Emboar."

"That just makes things even more interesting."

"So… you'll be challenging Koga tomorrow?"

"Yeah… I want to get this over with. What about you?"

"I already have the badge, so I'll be heading to Celadon City to take on Erika. I had thought about going to the safari zone, but I'll most likely head over to the rock tunnel and take it to Lavender town. There I'll catch a ghost type and take on Sabrina."

"You sure have this planned out."

"Of course I do."

"Well, I'll be taking the long road to Lavender town. As it is I have sixteen pokémon caught already and I don't need any extras so I won't be facing Sabrina with a ghost type."

"You on a catching spree or what?

"They just happen to occur to me… that's all. Leaf on the other hand is going about catching a bunch of pokémon."

"I need at least a team of twelve for the league. I'm going to have to catch another fire type and evolve most of my pokémon."

"I just remembered… Volt evolved."

Paul smiled. "Guess someone's eager to get an Electivire."

"So do you?"

"Of course yes."

"So when are you going back to Celadon?"

"I should be going now." He released Fearow and got on the avian.

"Don't go losing to just anyone…I want to have the honour beating you in battle."

"We'll see about that. Take care Ash." And he was off. Ash also turned around as he made his way inside the Pokémon Center, all too ecstatic about his match in the morning.

**The Next Morning**

Ash was standing in front of the Fuschia Gym. He had a refreshing rest the previous night as he was too exhausted to train, given the events that occurred at the Cycling Road. He just wanted to face Koga and get things over with. His birthday was also approaching and he was excited 'cause his dad had promised to get him a present.

He took a deep breath as he stepped into the gym. The gym was set in a standard Japanese home style and was pitch black. He was only able to see this because of aura sight. He was lucky to be able to use aura, the entire gym was booby trapped to the tee. He casually avoided the trap doors and the occasional projectiles that were sent flying at his head and the sleep darts. Darts that Koga used to knock out people who were not worthy to face him in battle; usually the trainer would wake up to see themselves outside the Pokémon Center. Only rarely did a person get hit by all this attacks and still be able to face Koga, and that's why most trainers enter this gym with a pokémon that would be able to sense danger and all those attacks.

Ash sighed as he located the gym arena. It had definitely been more than ten minutes and he had located it, he was also able to locate the aura of Koga and another person. Now what was left was the final test of the invisible door, something Ash was not sure his aura sight would be able to locate, but he did so and he was glad. As soon as he entered the arena, the lights came on and he could see clearly. There on the gym floor was Koga standing as he usually was, calm, and besides him was a girl that was so bubbly and cheerful, reminding him of Leaf.

"Ash Satoshi Ketchum, I presume?"

The raven haired trainer just nodded as he studied the gym. It was just like a typical Japanese floor. Ash let his senses take over as he tried to get a feel for one of the League issued Alakazam.

"Your aura is even more impressive in person. My name is Koga Kyō and I am the Gym Leader of Fuschia City." The poison type specialist took a bow as he introduced himself.

"Hi," the girl said as she jumped up ecstatically.

"Hello, my name is Ash Satoshi Ketchum… you already knew that."

Koga smirked. "Allow me to introduce my daughter, Janine Kyō. She will be refereeing us today as we battle. She needs to get a huge grasp as a trainer before I hand over the gym to her."

Ash blinked. "You're quitting?!"

"Yes… I have been chosen by Lance to come and take one of the vacant Elite Four posts of Johto."

Ash looked a bit shocked but before he could voice out as his thoughts, Koga beat him to it. "Blaine and Giovanni both turned down the offer. Blaine on the account that he couldn't go back to being an elite again and Giovanni brushing it off due to the fact that he needs to protect Viridian City from Team Rocket… reasons that I am not very aware of. Sabrina was the one that actually convinced me to take it. So as of the next Gym Leader's Conference… my daughter, Janine will be representing Fuschia City."

"She needs all the training she can have because her battle style is a little… shabby."

"That is so not true," the Gym Leader heiress pouted as she looked at her father. Koga glanced at Ash and gained a twinkle in his eyes of some sort. The raven haired trainer was quick to understand this and voiced his thoughts.

"… You want me to battle her?"

"Just to test her skills and to see her she would do in a battle against someone her age… so what do you say?"

"I'm always ready for a battle," Ash declared as he pumped his fists.

"Fine by me," Janine replied as she adjusted her scarf, revealing three pokéballs. "How does a three-on-three battle sound?"

"Sounds good to me," Ash said as he clutched a pokéball. He was going to let one of his weaker pokémon battle.

Janine took one of her pokéball as she hurled it and releasing a purple goo-like pokémon. "Meet Grimer," she said as she patted the Pokémon's head. "He is the most defensive battler I have." Said poison type just squished in response. Ash nodded his head and watched the Grimer with caution, because said Grimer was a shiny one.

"In that case… I choose you." Ash tossed his friend ball as he released Emerald. The Dratini came out and cooed as she studied the sudden change of location. Her eyes darted back to her trainer as she observed him. "We're about to have a battle." She nodded as she trained her eyes on the Grimer in anticipation and awaited the signal for the battle to start.

Koga walked up to the center of the field as both trainers took their spot. "Battle begin."

"Grimer harden and follow up with mud-slap."

Grimer nodded as his body went stiff for a moment before hurling mud at Emerald.

"Dodge and use agility to circle him."

Emerald's body lightened as she avoided the mud-slap and began to circle Grimer.

"Poison gas."

Grimer squished as he let loose a purple gas that filled the area around him. "Into the gas and nail him with dragon pulse."

Ignoring the poisonous gas, Emerald darted in and nailed Grimer with a point blank dragon pulse. The attack sent the poison type flying, but he immediately got up, ever ready to attack.

"Sludge bomb."

Grimer spread his hands in front of his mouth as he released a huge blob of poison. Emerald swerved to dodge the attack but was met with another poisonous blob. The attack exploding on impact and sending her flying.

"Gunk shot!"

Ash was not having that. "Dragon pulse again." Emerald steadied herself as she shot the orb of draconic energy just before Grimer used gunk shot. The result was an explosion that completely covered the poison type.

"Grimer!" Janine shouted as she awaited the result.

"Emerald, ready a flamethrower."

The dragon type nodded as her mouth began to go ablaze. She tensed ever so slightly as she readied to release the flamethrower at the slightest sign of movement from the poison type.

Grimer shot out of the smoke as he threw himself into the air. Emerald released the flamethrower as Grimer's body approached her. The attack did nothing as Grimer completely body slammed Emerald. The poison type got off her as he made his way back to his trainer. Electricity sparked across Emerald's body as she was paralyzed, but not even a second later and her body glowed as she "shed" her skin, freeing herself from the paralysis.

"How's that possible?" Janine asked. She'd noticed that poison gas hadn't affected the Dratini in the slightest and was wondering how that was. She'd read about Dratini and she had not seen anything peculiar about them, save the fact that they were rare pokémon.

"Its her ability, shed skin. It heals her of any status effects that she may have in battle."

"Janine… clearly you haven't been studying as I had hoped you would. One of the things that will make you a great trainer is a basic knowledge on the pokémon you encounter."

"Yes Dad…" she pondered her next move because her opponent had just sent out a pokémon that she could not poison. "… Grimer use mud-slap again and don't let up until I give you the go ahead."

"Emerald, dodge with agility and use thunderbolt once you're in the clear."

Emerald nodded as she lightened her body with psychic energy before darting around the mud that was hurled at her. She danced around them before letting loose a powerful thunderbolt from her gem. The electric move slammed into Grimer and broke his attack. Wasting no time, Ash gave the command for a dragon pulse, which Emerald executed without missing a beat.

The dragon move hit Grimer and sent the poison type flying till it hit the psychic barriers and get repelled. Grimer hazily pulled himself to his feet as he awaited Janine's command. The gym leader in-training grit her teeth as she pondered her next move.

"Disable," she said and Grimer executed it before Ash could react. The dragon type was frozen in place as she fought to break free from the attack. "Ice punch."

Grimer made his way towards Dratini as fast as he could, which was pretty slow. Emerald struggled and as soon as she broke free, she was met with a very cold punch that sent her flying. A powerful sludge attack hit her before she could touch the ground.

"Emerald!" Ash called and he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw her get up. Grimer had gotten two good attacks in and Ash was clenching his fist.

"Mud bomb!" Janine declared as she was feeling lucky.

An idea clicked in Ash's mind as Emerald used agility to dodge. "Slam him into the ceiling with twister."

Emerald stopped as she used twister to pick Grimer up and slam the poison type unto the ceiling. Grimer was thrashed violently inside the twister before letting it dissipate.

"Quickly, dragon dance and then dragon rush."

Emerald, augmented by the agility speed boost, performed the dragon dance move before crouching down slightly. Ash watched as draconic energy swirled around her, and she slithered forward, almost a blur. She seemingly circled Grimer's falling body, allowing the draconic energy to build up more before she threw herself at the poison type. The impact creating a makeshift shockwave as Grimer was thrown into the psychic barriers, causing it to flare before stopping. Grimer was out for the count and Emerald was panting heavily.

Janine sighed as she recalled her Grimer and clutched another pokéball. Ash also recalled Emerald as he thought on which pokémon to send out.

"Let's do this," Janine said as she tossed the pokéball unto the field. The light materialized to reveal the female variant of the Nidoran-line, Nidoqueen. She was also a shiny variant and she bellowed as she stomped her foot.

Ash was confused as to which pokémon he would send out to battle this beast. He nodded as he thought of the perfect one. He tossed the friend ball and released his newly evolved Clefable.

Koga glanced between both trainers before giving the order for the battle to begin.

"Nidoqueen start things with poison tail."

The large poison type roared as her tail was coated in poison energy and she charged Clefable.

"Zen headbutt."

The fairy type's head became coated with psychic energy as she ran at Nidoqueen. She slammed into the poison type and was in turn hit with a poison tail to the face.

Janine smirked. "Nidoqueen has the best reflexes out of all my pokémon. You'd have to be really fast to be able to evade it. Nidoqueen use earth power."

"Water pulse below you."

Nidoqueen stomped the ground as she caused it to explode beneath Clefable. The fairy type responded to Ash's command and tossed a water pulse at the ground, causing it to counter the earth power, reducing the damage Clefable took.

"Nidoqueen charge it and use poison tail again." Nidoqueen bellowed as her tail attained a purple glow. She slammed it into Clefable's body and sent the fairy type crashing into the barrier.

Clefable got up and took on a stance, though Ash could see the glow of poison around her body. "Clefable use metronome."

The fairy type began to wag her fingers back and forth as the tips glowed. "Iron tail."

Nidoqueen's tail attained a metallic sheen as she made her way towards Clefable. The fairy type in turn smirked as an ice beam escaped her mouth and slammed into Nidoqueen. The dual ground and poison type shrieked as the beam of ice slammed into her and lifted her into the air.

Clefable smirked but was feeling the toll. She wasn't quite used to her new body yet, so some of her attacks tend to carry a little too much power. Nidoqueen took her time in getting up, but she still had enough fight in her to go.

Ash flinched as a purple glow took over Clefable's body. He needed to end the battle quickly or else he would be in trouble. "Earth power!"

"Dodge it."

Clefable jumped up to avoid the earth exploding below her, but Ash was not prepared for the attack that came next.

"Poison sting."

Nidoqueen opened her mouth as she unleashed the barrage of poisonous needles at Clefable. The fairy type instinctively threw up a protect to block the needles that were headed her way. She groaned as poison took effect and caused her to drop her defense.

"Venoshock," Janine spat as she took advantage of the situation. A poisonous liquid blob escaped Nidoqueen's mouth and slammed into the fairy type. The result was an explosion that sent Clefable into the barriers.

It took time before the fairy type was able to pick herself back to her feet, but Ash returned her before she could fall down again. He muttered some words to her friend ball before turning to face Janine who had returned Nidoqueen and wore a smug grin on her face. They were both tied and this match was the deciding factor.

"I must admit Ash… you really are a strong trainer as you were able to take out my Grimer… but I am taking this tie breaker and you are going to witness firsthand the power of my strongest pokémon."

"Same goes for me… you really are a strong trainer, but the pokémon I have been using are not members of my elite squad… and now you are going to witness "firsthand" the power of one of my strongest."

Both trainers tossed their balls at the same time. On Janine's side, the light materialized into a Nidoking. The poison/ground type came out with a loud cry and stomped his feet violently. Its tail swished violently behind it and to top it all off, this pokémon was a shiny.

On Ash's side, the light materialized to reveal his Glaceon. The ice type coming out of her ball and flicking her ears. Koga just raised his eye brows at the sight of the rare pokémon. "Battle begin."

"Focus energy."

"Hail and then quick attack around the field."

Nidoking flexed his muscles as he was covered in a red aura as he focused greatly. Glaceon just sent a spike of icy energy into the atmosphere and hail began to fall. She proceeded to use quick attack and began to round the entire field. After Ash decided it was sufficient enough, he gave his next order.

"Iron tail."

"Counter with iron tail too."

Glaceon's tail attained a metallic sheen as she changed her direction to Nidoking. The poison type's tail also attained a metallic sheen as he countered Glaceon. Both attacks clashed and a shockwave rippled out. Ash looked at both pokémon struggling to overpower each other and noticed something. If it had not been for quick attack, Glaceon would have been thrown away by Nidoking.

"Break off and ice beam."

Glaceon disconnected herself from Nidoking and shot off a beam of ice. Janine instantly commanded her pokémon to use protect and the ice beam harmlessly bounced off of the defense barrier.

"Icicle crash."

"Sucker punch."

Nidoking shot off as he was propelled by the power of sucker punch. The punch found its mark on Glaceon's face and launched her backward. "Earth power before she can recover."

"Dodge and follow through with icicle crash."

Glaceon righted herself as she began to run around the field. Earth power exploded behind her and more hail crashed into Nidoking. Before the poison type could comprehend, some ice shards crashed into it, dealing damage.

"Nidoking, use drill run." The poison and ground type managed to catch himself. He slammed his tail into the ground as he began to propel himself at Glaceon all the while leaking of ground energy.

"Go after Nidoking with quick attack."

Glaceon shot off as she left behind a trail of silver white energy. She made her way towards the large poison and ground type. "Jump into the air and use blizzard on his head." The move had not been perfected yet but what Ash had in mind was perfect for this move.

Glaceon jumped up as she used blizzard. The move slammed into Nidoking and sent his body into the ground, digging a trench. At the same time, the blizzard had propelled Glaceon into the air and had also frozen Nidoking.

"Nidoking!"

Glaceon was sent high into the air by the force of the Blizzard attack and Ash smirked.

"What are you planning?"

"You'll see. Glaceon," Ash called out. "Descend with a spin with quick attack and smash Nidoking with an iron tail."

The ice type yipped as she used quick attack, the familiar silver white energy trailing off of her body; she began to spin as she came down, her tail attaining a metallic sheen. Ash was too dependent on luck for this move. The fact that Glaceon had to retain a sense of vertigo was just too much and she may end up confusing herself and missing the target. Ash watched as she outlined with Nidoking's body and came down, the momentum from the spin and the added effect of gravity, coupled with the speed boost from quick attack gave the iron tail more powerful.

A shockwave ripped out from the impact of steel and ice, with the ice breaking in an instance. A loud shriek was heard as Nidoking cried out in pain. Glaceon in turn made her way back to Ash's side of the field. The poison and ground type made to stand up… very slowly. He was battered and bruised beyond a shadow of doubt but was still raring to fight. He stomped as he let loose a massive earthquake attack that damaged the field and crashed into Glaceon, sending her into the barrier.

Ash looked at the Drill Pokémon's eyes and noticed something. They had tensed up and the Nidoking was on a rampage.

'_Uh-oh,_' Janine thought.

"Janine," Koga said as he glanced at his daughter. "You still haven't worked on that with Nidoking, have you?"

Janine flinched a bit at his tone. He wasn't angry nor was he upset. He came off as disappointed and a little annoyed.

"I've been working on it and there has been a little progress," she said. "But I don't know."

Koga nodded. Nidoking are a little hard to control at their final stage and some, not all, tend to go on a rampage. "Alright, I am stopping the battle."

"Uhmm… Koga let me stop him."

"Are you sure?" On seeing Ash's determination, he nodded and turned his eyes back to the rampaging pokémon.

"Glaceon let's do this for Janine," Ash said as he flicked his hat to the back. The ice type yipped as she pawed the ground and huffed.

"I know, I know… let's do this for Janine okay?" the ice type gave in and nodded. "Quick attack."

Glaceon shot off as she let loose a trail of silver white energy. Nidoking was just busy using thrash to devastate the field but he stopped as he noticed Glaceon from the corner of his eye. He changed his direction and began to charge Glaceon. She paused and before he could catch her, she sped off and hit Nidoking on the back with an iron tail. The Drill Pokémon didn't appear fazed by the attack and proceeded to attack her back, but she was already gone.

An ice beam slammed into Nidoking's chest and he felt the pain from the attack. Nidoking's hands came ablaze as he began to charge Glaceon again. The ice type used hail to its fullest extent, and the entire field was covered in a hailstorm. Thanks to her snow cloak ability, her evasion increased and Nidoking was unable to pinpoint her. Nidoking bellowed furiously and slammed the ground, letting loose an earthquake and catching Glaceon of guard. Thanks to the hail on the ground, the power of the attack was greatly limited, but it still packed a punch.

"Glaceon are you okay?" Ash was glad to hear her yip. "Now use icicle crash."

The ice type nodded and began to form the shards of ice continuously. She didn't let up and continued to form the shards of ice. Thanks to prior training, she was able to pinpoint where Nidoking was and sent the shards of ice at the ground type. Multiple grunts were heard and most likely assumed to be the grunts of Nidoking due to the fact that it was deep.

"I want you to charge up blizzard."

'_This kid has really got some strange tactics to his name. Truly surprising for a kid his age. The next generation is definitely worth something._'

Glaceon pawed the ground as she pinpointed Nidoking's form. The poison type was still in his fit of rage and was thrashing about continuously and not letting up. Glaceon wondered why the pokémon was not yet confused, because if she remembered correctly, thrash was a move that caused the pokémon to become confused. Or maybe he was too in to his rampage to even notice that it was confused. She shook her head as she used an ice spear to gain its attention. The Drill Pokémon turned his attention towards her and the hail stopped. Nidoking resumed his pursuit, but Glaceon and Ash had other plans in mind.

"Icicle crash on both feet."

The ice type barked as she formed two icicles and slammed them into the poison type's feet. As Nidoking tripped ever so slightly, Ash capitalized by ordering Glaceon to use blizzard. She let loose the powerful ice type move that slammed into Nidoking and sent the poison type into the barrier, completely encasing him in ice. Nidoking was out cold.

Janine sighed as she returned the Drill Pokémon. Koga whistled and the psychic barriers were dropped. He glanced at Janine who was heading out of the room to go and heal her pokémon and have a stern talk with Nidoking.

"You did well."

"Uhh… thank you sir," Ash responded. "Is she going to be okay... your daughter?"

"Janine just needs to have a chat with her Nidoking… she needs to let him know the dangers of his rampage. Just like me, she is pretty much independent… every time I offer to help her; she says she would do it on her own… I'll just give her time to find herself and help Nidoking. In the meantime, you and I have a battle."

Ash smirked as Koga said those words. "Yes sir… but the field is damaged."

"Yes… but not beyond repair." The Poison type Gym Leader whistled again and the Alakazam came. The psychic type used its abilities to completely restore the field to its previous form and then it took on its position once again, ready to form another barrier if the need be.

Koga casually walked to his side of the field and turned towards Ash. "Are you ready?"

The raven-haired trainer nodded as he clutched a friend ball. Both he and Koga tossed their balls at the same time, releasing two pokémon.

**I'm done with another chapter. Thank God. I don't have anything much to say so I'll just say read and review, and thanks to all those who have being with me since the start of this fan fic. I am really grateful. Anyways, see you all next chapter. You can also help me by checking out my other fan fics; you can view them on my profile or you can just search them out, Boku no Hero Academia: Rise to Greatness and Naruto: The Blue-eyed Saviour. I also have a poll on my profile, please do well to vote. draconian216 out.**


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